The Age of Dragons
by CastMeAway
Summary: With the Saxons growing in strength each day and with the time of Albion drawing near, new allies must be forged. "As white and red clash under an immortal sky, the night's fury calls upon a new dawn." No Slash. Canon Pairings. (More details within).
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: With the Saxons growing in strength each day and with the time of Albion drawing near, new allies must be forged. "As white and red clash under an immortal sky, the night's fury calls upon a new dawn."**_

**A Quick Note: Takes place about eight months before HTTYD 2 and sometime after the episode 'The Death Song of Uther Pendragon' of Season 5 of Merlin. (In other words, Aithusa is already hatched and Mordred is already a knight). The only difference is that Merlin is Court Adviser (He is not Court Sorcerer yet! His magic has been revealed to the inner circle of Arthur and the Knights, but not the Kingdom as a whole).**

**Spoilers for season five of Merlin and all Canon pairings. No Slash.**

**Characters speaking in "English"**

**Characters speaking in "_Norse_"**

**_Thoughts or Flashbacks_**

**Stoick is able to understand a fair amount but cannot speak very fluently at times. Hiccup, seeing how un-viking like he is, can understand and speak very fluently. Fishlegs can also understand and speak fluently. Astrid knows a little as do most of the women. The rest of the men of Berk do not speak or understand English at all.**

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The Great hall was bustling with people. This was not an unusual occurrence; the hall was often occupied throughout the day as people came and went. However, the atmosphere was one the likes of which Hiccup had never seen within the space before. Vikings, particularly those on Berk, were not especially known for being clean or caring much for general appearances. As he watched, with a visible wince, Gobber attempting to hang some decorations on the wall opposite where he stood only to end up dropping the heavy metal pole onto his head, Hiccup could only stand in shock at the change the coming visitors were having on the populace of Berk. The past few weeks had been much the same as people rushed around to prepare food, decorations, and the twins so they were out of the way.

Deep in thought, Hiccup jumped when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. Looking up, he met the gaze of Stoick the Vast who jerked his head towards the entrance. No words were spoken as Hiccup followed his father outside and away from the flurry of the villagers. Once the door had closed behind them, Hiccup waited for his father to address him; laying his hand on Toothless who had followed them outside. Instead they stood and looked out upon Berk for a long moment of silence.

Even after four and a half years, Hiccup could do nothing but look upon the village in shock at the changes that had occurred. As they stood there looking down upon the village, a group of wild Nadders flew overhead in the direction of Dragon Island.

"_Our visitors should arrive within the next few hours,_" his father finally began as the Nadders slowly disappeared from view.

"_We are nearly done preparing,_" Hiccup said, hoping to reassure his father; however, he realized he had misunderstood his father's concern when his father's gaze landed on him again.

"_All is nearly prepared except one thing_," he said and gestured towards the black dragon. Had Hiccup been looking at Toothless, he would have seen the dragon blink in confusion in tandem with him at his father's words and gesture.

"_I'm sorry_?" he asked slowly, immediately going defensive as he tried to understand what his father could possibly mean.

"_We have not had communication from these people in years, Hiccup. The last time we ever had any news from them, the late King had finished killing off the last of the dragons in their Kingdom_." Hiccup's eyes widened. His father had told him quite a few interesting tales about the people coming over the past few weeks and the reason for their visit; however, their apparent hatred of dragons was one important fact his father conveniently left out. "_I do not know what the new King's stance is on dragons. I want every dragon locked up in either the academy or in the stables. Tell the other riders not to mention them. I do not want to hear the word 'dragon' for the next five days while they are here."_ His father commanded, before giving Hiccup one last stern look before turning and returning into the hall. Hiccup watched his father's back disappear behind the Great Hall doors before sighing and beginning to head out towards the academy.

Getting all the dragons locked up into their pens took far longer than Hiccup had intended, especially after Hookfang decided to try to eat Snotlout and thus sent the Twins on a violent tangent on how to get him out in the most painful way. Once they had returned to the Great Hall, Hiccup could already feel the loss of Toothless from his side as he took his seat at the main table to the left of his father.

Normally, they would be waiting at the shipping docks to receive their visitors. However, Stoick had decided that they would follow an older tradition and instead had sent Spitlout to receive the visitors and bring them to the hall. His father, unsure of the coming party and their intentions, wanted to be within his seat of authority when they were received. The room was tense and Stoick had already reprimanded the twins five times to cease in their arguing. Caught up in his thoughts, Hiccup jumped as a hand grabbed his own from under the table. Looking to his left, he met the small smile that Astrid sent his way as she squeezed his hand in reassurance. Forcing himself to relax, he squeezed her hand back in thanks before returning the smile. He could still only marvel at the woman that sat at his side and how much their relationship had changed over such a short time.

Before he could contemplate anything else, his father stood and the room fell into complete silence as the large wooden doors pulled open. Spitlout came in first, his head held high as he stepped through the doors. He stepped to the side and waited as the visitors passed into the room. As they walked down the room between the massive tables of the hall, Hiccup could only stare at them in wonder. There were six men within the party. These men, 'Knights' as his father had dubbed them in their earlier lessons, were all dressed in chainmail and wore bright red capes. What confused Hiccup the most by their dress however, was the golden emblem that was stitched upon their cloaks. It was a golden dragon. The men certainly held a strong presence as they made their way into the room; however, it was the man in the lead, with golden hair, that claimed many a gaze. Hiccup immediately determined that this man was the foreign King, if his commanding air was any indication. However, while this man clearly demanded respect, it was the man who walked a step behind on the King's right that drew the most eyes. While the Knights were all dressed in red, the last man wore a deep blue cloak. Had the cloak not also had the golden dragon stitched into its fabric, Hiccup would have been hard pressed to understand the man's affiliation to the group.

The men stopped before the largest table at which Hiccup sat with his father, Astrid, and the other high members of the village. For a moment, silence continued to reign. Hiccup noticed that each Knight had come into the hall with their hand on the hilt of their sword that they had strapped to their sides. It took Hiccup a moment to realize that the room was tense and the Knights especially seemed uncomfortable. Then, to Hiccup's surprise, the golden haired King seemed to growl in anger. Hiccup felt the room tense further at this unexpected development. However, Hiccup immediately went from being tense to dumbfounded as the King raised his hand and, instead of calling for an attack, hit the blue cloaked man on the back of his head. Hard. Blinking in shock, Hiccup looked around to see it mirrored on everyone else's faces as well; he noted in passing the grins that the twins wore as they looked at each other. The blue cloaked man glared at the King as he rubbed the back of his head in pain. After a moment of muttering under his breath, and after quickly casting a glare backwards at the Knights who now appeared more relaxed and were all smirking, the blue man stepped forward.

"_We thank you for graciously welcoming us into your village."_ The man began in heavily accented Norse; however, his words were clear and strong. The man then turned slightly and gestured towards the blonde man. _"I present Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot,"_ the King acknowledged his man's words with a nod of his head towards the table.

"_Your Norse is impressive, my friend_" Stoick began, Hiccup noting the smile in his father's tone.

"_Ah, I believe that is the only reason they brought me along,"_ the man in blue quipped, the grin overtaking his face. His father's booming laugh filled the room as Hiccup watched the King shoot a a quick glare at his translator.

"We welcome you and your men here, King Arthur Pendragon," his father continued in English after having finished his laughter. Hiccup smirked as he watched the gathered guests blink in confusion at hearing their own language spoken so fluently. "While not all here know your language, some are efficient in it," Stoick continued in response to the dumbfounded looks he received. Hiccup was glad that his father had required he learn the language when he was younger. However, the confusion he read in many Viking faces, particularly the twins, Snotlout, and even a little bit from Astrid, it hit him how unusual it actually was. His father was fluent enough in the language to get by, but Hiccup had been so engrossed in it when he had been a child that he had picked it up as quickly as he had picked up Norse. "_Now, come dine with us. We shall show you to your loggings once we have feasted as I am sure you are all tired from your journey._" His father returned to Norse so that their gathered people could be involved in the conversation before gesturing to the remaining chairs at the table in which they sat. The translator quickly relayed the message to his King. The blonde man looked behind him at his men and after a seemingly silent conversation he turned back to Stoick and nodded his head in agreement.

"We thank you for your hospitality" he said, the blue cloaked man quickly repeated the words in Norse and Hiccup was impressed for the man's foresight as many of the Vikings in the room finally relaxed their own tensed postures. The King then moved forward to claim his chair opposite Stoick. The blue cloaked man took the empty chair to the King's right, directly in front of Hiccup, and the Knights grabbed chairs as close to their King as they were able too.

"_Let us feast_," his father called into the hall and suddenly the room had come alive again. Hiccup saw out of the corner of his eye that the blue cloaked man quickly translated what his father had said. As conversations were struck up, Stoick sat himself and began to pile food onto his plate. "Further introductions are in order, I am Stoick the Vast, leader of Berk and this is my Son," Hiccup felt his father's heavy hand on his shoulder, "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III." Hiccup fought off a scowl as he watched the foreigners blink at the mention of his name. He knew his name was not very Viking-like; he did not need a bunch of foreigners to remind him as he had had enough of that during his childhood. "…and this is my soon to be daughter-in-law, Astrid Hofferson," his father finished and Hiccup's irritation immediately faded away to be replaced with embarrassment. While he and Astrid had talked about the future, they had not so much as even discussed a Bride-price yet between their parents. The slightly confused look she shot him made him feel slightly better as she was not fully aware of how his father had introduced her.

"I guess congratulations are in order then," Hiccup's eyes snapped to Arthur's to see a bright smile and a deep understanding in his blue eyes. Speechless, Hiccup merely nodded his head in thanks.

"Another beautiful maiden is off the market? I suppose my charm came here to late," a loud voice called out into room and many conversations immediately died off. Those who did not understand the man had turned to their neighbors for translations. Hiccup could only look at the man in shock as the man eyed Astrid. The Knight was seated next to the blue cloaked man and so was directly opposite Astrid, allowing the man to lean over the table slightly and give the woman a wink in a manner that had Hiccup tensing up. He narrowed his eyes at the man and could tell that his father and Astrid both sat in shocked silence beside him at the man's audacity as well. However, before anyone could comment, King Arthur leaned back in his seat and with a lazy smirk turned to look at his man.

"Gwaine," he drawled, "your 'charm' does not work in Camelot and it certainly isn't going to work here."

"Oh woe is me!" the man called out dramatically before suddenly latching his arm around the blue cloaked man's shoulders who valiantly shook him off.

"I would like to apologize for Sir Gwaine's behavior," the King continued into the silence, his translator suddenly repeating the words loudly in Norse. "He is unfortunately under the delusion that he can acquire any woman." Hiccup felt, more than saw, Astrid jump slightly at these words as she finally understood exactly what the black haired Knight had been insinuating. Suddenly, Arthur straightened and leaned over towards where Astrid sat as if to tell a secret though his voice remained loud enough to be heard throughout the hall as his man continued to translate. "To bad no respectable lady will ever have him," he said with a wink of his own. A moment passed as the man finished translating before Astrid laughed and Arthur returned to sitting in his seat as normal. Hiccup looked to his father to see a glint of humor in his eyes as well.

"Well, you have already been introduced to Sir Gwaine," the King began, the blue cloaked man continuing to translate into the now silent room. Arthur introduced the rest of his Knights, the next was Sir Percival, a bear of a man who reached out to pat the now forlorn Sir Gwaine on the shoulder in a kind yet seemingly mocking manner. The King then announced Sir Leon and Sir Elyan. Finally, the King turned his head and eyed the blue cloaked man before turning away and beginning to eat his food. Sir Gwaine, having pushed Sir Percival away, laughed alongside the other Knights as the blue cloaked man glowered at the King. After taking a slow bite of his food and a sip of wine, King Arthur finally gestured to the glowering man. "Oh, yes, and this is my Court Adviser, Lord Merlin."

"_I must again express my amazement at your knowledge of Norse, Lord Merlin_," Stoick began. Lord Merlin, who had been glaring at Arthur, quickly turned away from the smirking King to look wide eyed at Stoick.

"_Merlin is fine, please."_ His posture and voice made the situation clear to Hiccup; Merlin was highly uncomfortable with the title. Hiccup watched as Merlin's obvious unease seemed to draw a frown onto the King's face though the man continued to quietly eat.

"_Merlin, then. How long have you been studying?" _

_ "I was apprenticed under the Royal Court Physician for many years. He drilled many languages into me during that time."_

"And I suppose that is the only reason for them bringing you?" Hiccup could not help but interject, prompting a quick laugh from the Court Advisor even as the man received a sharp and slightly confused look from his King.

"He is also my servant when need be," the King continued in a voice that seemed to brook no argument. Hiccup was almost offended for the man in question when Merlin simply grinned back in amusement.

"Why of course," Merlin continued, in a tone that seemed to mimic the King's seriousness. However, Hiccup could just hear a slight hint of mockery with the words. "Until the day I die, Sire," a look seemed to pass between the two men until a grin suddenly reformed on Merlin's face. He then turned his head and, to Stoick, said in a conspiratory voice, "_the King could not survive without me at his side anyway,_" before giving an innocent look towards the glaring King.

As the night wore on and Hiccup observed the visitors, one thought alone passed through his head: 'it will be an interesting five days.'

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**Note: So decided to rewrite parts of this! This language barrier will be quite trying but I wanted to make sure I wrote it right! What do you think? The original version has been saved and will be put up as a funny extra at some point. Third chapter will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**To Everyone: **I had intended for this chapter to be posted a while ago; however, classes and work got in the way. I have the next chapter already written and I just need to finish editing it. I have a bit of an awkward move coming up in the next few days but once I am situated I will try to be a bit more regular, especially since I am ahead.

Of course the Dragonlord ability will be involved! Also, I made the decision that the story will mostly be from the Camelot party perspective but Hiccup will be more prevalent in the next chapter. It may go back to Hiccup at some point, but for the most part it will be from Merlin's. I said in the last chapter that Merlin is Court sorcerer; however, I intend to slightly change that as he is instead just Adviser. Magic has not been fully returned to Camelot but they are in the process of trying to push for its return (as indicated in this chapter!). **The Story is taking place between season 4 and 5. There was an error in the first chapter that was not noticed by myself or my Beta. Sorry!**

Question: What does everyone think of Merlin being known to the group? I considered making him still the 'invisible servant' but I wanted more leeway. I may write another, more simplified one-shot, version of it with him still as a servant.

**Hellbound-Shadow: **Thanks so much for the review! I honestly had not given it much thought yet but when you asked, it sparked a few ideas that I plan to run with. Hiccup is 20 in HTTYD 2 so he is probably nearing the age of 20 at the time of this story. As for Merlin and Arthur: because the story is now taking place between season 4 and 5, I will say that Arthur is about 28 and Merlin is about 26.

**Jonza: **I'm glad you liked it and I completely agree! I went looking one day on a whim and when I realized there were none already written, I came up with this.

**Kallie01: **Thanks! The whole reason I thought to do this crossover was because I was watching HTTYD after I watched an episode of Merlin and realized "oh hey, dragons! I wonder what would happen if Merlin went there?"

**Person's Name, FlyingLovegood123, and Megwar: **I completely agree with you three on that Gwaine/Percival part as well. I plan to go back in and edit a few bits of that chapter as I really am not too happy with the behavior of the Camelotions. I plan to re-post the original though as an aside or extra just because I still enjoy this version somewhat XD.

**Littlemisslondonlady: **Thank you for the wonderful review! I entirely agree with you in terms of "being in denial," however, I have not yet decided if I will keep Lancelot alive for this particular story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or How to Train Your Dragon

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**Two Weeks Prior**

Sitting on the ship's deck, Merlin had only the Knights as company in the forming light since the deck hands were up and about making sure they sailed calmly. With his back against the cabin wall, Merlin was polishing an armour breastplate as the sounds of fighting graced his ears. Looking up suddenly, he just managed to catch sight of Gwaine tossing his sword to the side and tackling Elyan to the ground. Chuckling at their antics, Merlin returned to his polishing only to, moments later, find the rising sun blocked by a looming shadow. Looking up again, he was met by a sight that only he could find humorous as the King of Camelot stood before him red faced.

"Sire?" He asked, keeping his voice as respectful as one could manage while trying to contain a large building laugh.

"I know you are the most irresponsible and clumsy servant in all the five kingdoms, but when I ask to be woken at a specific time, that normally means for you to wake me up," Arthur said through gritted teeth as the sounds of roughhousing began to cease.

"Ah, but last I checked, I was no longer your servant," Merlin stated in a calm manner despite the circular motions that his hand was still making with a polishing cloth on the armour.

"You were the one who asked to keep some of your servant duties," Arthur said with determination, crossing his arms.

"Ah yes, my mistake." Merlin grinned when Arthur sent a full blown glare his way before he suddenly gave a large grin of his own. Merin narrowed his eyes at the man before realizing that his King had a sword strapped to his side and, despite the blade being hidden by the scabbard, Merlin could easily sense the magic of Excalibur. However, what made Merlin fidget was the fact that the King had a second sword in hand. Arthur then turned to his Knights who had stopped in order to listen in.

"We cannot stop training simply because we are at sea. Gwaine, you are with me. Percival with Leon; Elyan…" Arthur started before turning slightly and tossing the second sword to Merlin who barely caught it by the hilt. "…try to keep Merlin from impaling himself." He said flippantly before moving to face Gwaine who bore a wicked grin on his face. Grumbling, Merlin slid the armour off his lap and stood to face a sympathetic Elyan.

Bracing himself and forcing his magic down so as not to have it lash out as the first blow came, he quickly parried the swing meant to take his head clean off. Despite Arthur's displeasure at Merlin's sword fighting capabilities, no one could argue that he had improved over the years. However, Merlin would forever hold claim to the fact that he only ended up falling flat on his face that day due to the shifting waves. As his face met wood, a sensation fell over him that he at first just put down as humiliation.

"You alright there, Merlin?" He heard Elyan ask from above, humour barely contained in his voice. However, before he could respond or even try to stand, the sensation increased in strength.

"Merlin?" This time he was unable to determine if it was Elyan or someone else who had spoken. After a moment he registered that two hands were gripping his arms and trying to pull him up but his focus was entirely on the sensation that was permeating his body. It had begun deep within his chest and it took him a moment to realize it was his magic reacting. At first it was a steady throb, though not unpleasant, until it spread throughout his body. He felt a power try to claw its way up his throat and swallowed it back down as he realized what it was. After a moment, he was able to beat the power back down. First, he noticed that he was no longer lying on the ground but was now on his hands and knees. Taking a deep breathe, he brought his head up and met concerned blue eyes.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked cautiously. Merlin took a moment before nodding and slowly pushing himself into a seated position.

"What happened?" Arthur was quick to demand, the concern in his eyes quickly vanishing as he also straightened; however, Merlin was still able to see a hint of it in the tightness of Arthur's face.

"My magic was acting on its own. I just had to suppress it," he said, slightly breathless.

"It can do that?" Arthur asked, his voice taking on a slightly apprehensive tone. Merlin forced himself not to flinch at the look Arthur was giving him. Despite having been revealed to the Knights and Arthur for over 3 months, there were still times where Merlin felt the tension between him and Arthur. Arthur had accepted the reveal with a grace that his father never could have. He had been livid and would have thrust his sword through Merlin if not for Gwaine's threats. It had been during the fight against Uther's spirit. Merlin had not realized that Arthur had heard his father before sending him back to the spirit world. The following week had seen Arthur moody and vindictive towards everyone, but Merlin most of all. During a hunt with the roundtable, an attack had occurred in which Merlin had been forced to use his magic to save Leon's life. The silence following had been the worst moment in Merlin's life until he heard the swinging of a sword. Still on high alert from the attacking bandits, he acted on instinct and pushed the threat backwards with his magic. His eyes had nearly popped out his head as he turned to see Arthur lying on his back on the ground not too far away. Merlin apologized profusely only to have Arthur demand silence as he got back up to his feet. The man had then sheathed his sword and stiffly turned back towards Camelot. The walk back had been painful and tense to say the least. Once returned, Merlin had found himself locked in the dungeon. While the Knights, and even Gwen, had come down to get the story, Arthur had stayed away. Merlin remained there for two days and was only released after Gwen had demanded Arthur talk to the man and get his own answers. A month later, Arthur had promoted Merlin to Royal Adviser with a secret promise of Court Sorcerer once the ban on Magic could be lifted. They had been about to bring the plan to the council when Morgana had made her move as the Saxon forces were seen mobilizing.

"_We cannot hope to survive against the mass of the Saxon's" Arthur said; his face tight with anger. "…and we cannot expect our neighbors alone to come to our aid against such power. We will all be slaughtered." Arthur viciously stood up and began to pace behind his seat at the Round table. The meeting was only with the King's close circle. _

_ "What if we went outside of Albion, Sire?" a voice from further down the table drew everyone's gaze to Geoffrey of Monmouth._

_ "What do you mean?" the Queen asked before Arthur could demand an answer._

_ "Your father had quite a few allies outside of Albion…" _

"_Are you referring to those barbaric Vikings?" With his back to the King, who still paced behind his seat, Merlin could just envision the disgusted look he wore._

"_Your father may not have had a nice opinion of them, but they were strong allies in the fight against our enemies." There was a long pause and finally Merlin looked over his shoulder. He nearly jumped in shock to find Arthur's eyes trained seriously on him before the King turned back to the group._

"_If I recall correctly," he began, his voice tight and contained, "they were our allies in the fight against the dragons." Merlin tensed. Everyone at the table had eyed him at those words as those in attendance were the only ones yet aware of the truth about the newly appointed Court Adviser. _

"_They were indeed. The dragons up north are not the same as the ones we are accustomed to here. They ravaged the northern lands." Gaius finally spoke up when it became apparent that Geoffrey would not provide the information. Merlin's head snapped up at that and he eyed Gaius who seemed to be consciously avoiding his gaze. Merlin found himself slowly rising to his feet._

"_Are you telling me, that there are dragons still alive?" He said through a clenched jaw. Arthur's hand landed lightly on his shoulder but Merlin ignored it as he glared accusingly at his mentor._

"_There were. If any still remain, I know not. We have not kept much contact with the Viking tribes." Though Gaius spoke simply, Merlin could hear a hint of remorse in his words and the anger fled him immediately. He nodded before returning to his seat._

"_If there are any dragons remaining…" Leon voiced suddenly, "…could we use that to our advantage?" He said pointedly at Merlin who contemplated it for a moment before nodding. _

"_We are kin. I could command them to aid us if any remain"_

"_Then we shall set out immediately," Arthur said without another thought. Gwaine raised a hand in question._

"_Uh…Where?"_

"_The isle of Berk. It's a small Viking village across the water to our north who had plenty of dragon problems in the past." Geoffrey supplied. _

"_If they are so small, how can they help us?"_

"_They are small compared to us; however, they are still a force to be reckoned with. During_

_Uther's reign, he had a long standing peace agreement with the isle of Berk as the Saxons have caused the Northern regions just as much trouble as they do us." _

A hand incessantly poking the side of his head finally snapped the Warlock out of his heavy reverie. Glaring at Gwaine, he held out a hand and the grinning man quickly pulled him to his feet.

"Well? Is that normal?" Arthur repeated.

"No, not normally. Like I said before, my magic is instinctual. Heavy emotion or outside stress can cause my magic to react."

"Why was it reacting now?" Gwaine said suddenly serious, his hand on his sword's hilt as the words seemed to indicate to the man a potential threat.

"Well…" he began sheepishly, giving an innocent smile when Arthur sent him a glare indicating he had better explain.

"My magic reacts when it feels close to other magical beings. It's not normally that intense of a reaction but I also wasn't expecting it..." He stopped when he realized he was beginning to babble. "I felt a familiar presence when we first got out to sea…"

"And you didn't think, maybe, we should be privy to that kind of information?" Arthur said through gritted teeth. Merlin looked away at the anger that was truly forming on the King's face. Their relationship had certainly become stronger since the truth had come out; however, the trust between them was still delicate at times.

"I was not entirely sure what it was at first," he said somewhat defensively. "I did not think it needed to be mentioned until I was sure," Arthur opened his mouth to argue but Gwaine beat him to the punch.

"What was it?" Before Merlin could give any semblance of a response, the answer was given for him as members of the crew suddenly cried out in fear at a dark shadow that passed innocently overhead.

"Dragon!" The sound of multiple swords being unsheathed rented through the air as each Knight took a defensive stance. However, the shadow vanished as the massive beast, a brilliant red dragon, continued its flight across the boat and out to sea. After a beat of silence, Merlin suddenly found the King of Camelot turning on him, the sword Excalibur suddenly very close to the side of his head. He knew Arthur better than anyone and knew the man would never purposely hurt him; however, the proximity of the weapon still had him nervous as he tried not to relive the fateful day of reveals.

"Care to explain to me what that was, _Mer_lin?" Gulping, he tried very hard not to shift his position.

"Well, Sire, it appeared to be a red dragon…"

"I could see that!" the man exploded; however, the sword dropped away and was suddenly placed back into its scabbard. Merlin took a large breathe of air before shooting back a response.

"Well, you asked me to explain what it was," Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit that was becoming more apparent since the reveal before shaking his head and walking towards the ship captain in hopes of calming down the crew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Isle of Berk**

"Merlin!" The shout snapped the Warlock out of his daze and he shot the King of Camelot a disgruntled look.

"I am trying to concentrate, you prat!" He responded back from his place on the floor, choosing to ignore the snicker from the knights that were somewhere to his right.

"You have been sitting there for over an hour, mate," Gwaine's voice carried over and Merlin blinked in shock as the words slowly registered.

"What?" He squeaked before clearing his throat in embarrassment and pointedly ignoring the amused look on Arthur's face. Before he could stand, a hand was thrust in front of his face and he quickly let Arthur pull him to his feet. They had only just arrived in their small loggings when Arthur had asked (demanded was a better word) that Merlin do his 'magical seeing trick' and search around the village. Disgruntled and a little insulted at his magic being called a 'trick' he had sat down on the floor without another word and lost himself in the power he released. Standing now, he was finally able to take a look around their small abode. Gwaine was sitting on a wooden chair, his feet propped up onto the simple table that took up most of the small room and a gleaming red apple in hand. Percival was leaning against the back wall and Leon and Elyan were seated at the table with Gwaine. The house they were in was simple by many standards but a family in the village had been gracious enough to stay at another home in order to give the Camelot party their privacy and comfort.

"Well?" Arthur's patience had finally run out as he watched Merlin look around. Merlin, in response, fought to keep the amusement off his own face but the scowl Arthur wore was a good indication that Merlin had failed in his task.

"I can sense the presence of many dragons but I cannot tell where they are. It's as if something is masking them."

"Do you suspect magic?" Merlin thought for a moment before shaking his head at Leon who promptly raised an eyebrow in question.

"I haven't felt a single magical presence here. The old religion is not strong."

"What does that mean?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms in irritation.

"It means, Sire, that there are no real magic users here. I have no idea what is masking them from me."

"Keep trying." The King commanded. "We need to find the dragons. If you can command them, we can have a force that can stand against the Saxons." Arthur said. If anyone noticed Merlin's lack of response, they did not comment on it which he was thankful for. He felt sick at the idea of asking, let alone commanding, his Kin to kill and risk their own lives; however, he understood the power and strength they would gain from it and so had said nothing yet about his own internal debate. "We need to be careful; I still cannot discern their current stance on Dragons. My original order stands, Merlin. No Magic." Merlin rolled his eyes but nodded his head in understanding. "We will discuss this further in the morning before the meeting with the village elders." Arthur then looked pointedly at Merlin before turning and going into the biggest bed room. Sighing, Merlin said goodnight to the Knights before following Arthur into the room. Their belongings had already been brought up, all thanks to the few servants they had brought with them from Camelot, and Arthur was rummaging in one of the chests as Merlin closed the door. The room had two simple, uncomfortable wooden beds that were only covered in thin blankets. He, of course, was used to it from his time as a peasant; however, he hid a grimace as he thought about the coming morning when Arthur woke up after an uncomfortable night's sleep. He sat down on one of the beds and watched Arthur for a moment before finally taking note of his King's mood.

"I'm sure Gwen is doing just fine back home." He said softly and watched Arthur pause and tense for a moment before finally sagging. "The entire army is at her beck and call and your remaining best Knights are all on her personal guard," Merlin continued on before grinning, "besides, if anyone with Magic tries to get into the Citadel, I will know."

"You can sense the wards from this far away?" Arthur turned in surprise. Merlin thought he saw a hint of awe in his friend's eyes but realized he was probably imagining it.

"Of course. I've only been putting power into them for over five years." He said sarcastically. Though the connection was weakened with the distance, he could still reach out and sense them. A sharp nod from Arthur was all the thanks Merlin needed to know the man felt comforted. Merlin watched for a moment as Arthur began to remove his chainmail shirt. After a moment of watching the man struggle, Merlin finally stood and, swatting his hands away, began to pull the chainmail over his head. He heard a grumbled 'shut up, _Mer_lin,' which was barely muffled by the clinking metal.

"What were you and the Chief's son talking about after the feast?" Arthur asked as they settled down in their respective beds. Stoick and Hiccup had personally shown the Camelot party to their loggings after the feast and Merlin had found himself in conversation with Hiccup for the majority of the walk.

"The Chief's name is Stoick and his son is Hiccup. You may want to actually try to commit that to memory before we see them tomorrow morning." He said mockingly only to hear Arthur huff in annoyance on the other side of the room. "He was actually asking me questions about how the chainmail you lot wear was made." Arthur sent him a perplexed look. "He is apparently a blacksmith apprentice." The confusion immediately turned to understanding.

"Elyan and he should get along perfectly then," Arthur said with a smirk as they both just imagined the two men talking about all manner of metal and forging. They lay in companionable silence for a few moments as Merlin waited for the inevitable command to go and extinguish the lights. Without shifting, Merlin simply flicked his wrist and the candles in the room quickly snuffed out. He easily imagined the irritated look Arthur wore at the unnecessary use of Magic.

"By the way, Merlin," said Arthur cheerfully after a moment, the tone of voice causing Merlin to shift uneasily.

"…Yes?"

"If you make me look bad in front of the Chief again…" he trailed off for a moment, letting his seemingly calm tone fill the quiet room. "…I'm sure your fans back home would love to see you again in the lower town." It took Merlin a moment to realize what Arthur was insinuating.

"You would throw me in the stocks when an army is about to march on Camelot?" he asked incredulously. The quiet snicker from across the room was all the answer he needed and his indignation quickly fled. Silence reigned again, both men lost in their contemplation's until Arthur broke the silence again.

"Now I expect…" Arthur continued on and Merlin immediately smirked into the darkness before deciding to rudely cut Arthur off.

"And you complain that I prattle on…" a hard leather Vambrace suddenly made contact with the side of his body and he made a mental note to keep those further out of reach next time.

* * *

Many people were within the Great Hall breaking their morning fast when the Camelot party entered. Their entrance immediately caused all conversations to halt as everyone stopped to look. Merlin couldn't help but fidget under the stares while he noticed with a jealous eye how his friends around him seemed either unaware or were just unaffected.

"King Arthur!" Stoick spoke into the growing silence as he stood from his own seat at the furthest table to welcome the party. The other tables immediately went back to their meals and conversations as Arthur led the group to the table. Merlin noted how similar their reception today had been to when they had first arrived. Despite how much he teased the man for his arrogance, he couldn't help but be proud of how Arthur had handled himself when they had first arrived.

Breakfast was a fast affair and the Great Hall quickly emptied until only the high council and the party from Camelot remained standing around what, the men noted with shock, was a large rounded table built around a burning fire. Merlin matched Gwaine's huge grin with one of his own.

"_Before we begin these talks_," Stoick began after all had taken their positions. Arthur stood immediately opposite Stoick at the round table with Merlin naturally on his right. "_I would first like to give my condolences on the passing of your father. He was a good man and helped us quite a bit back in the day. I apologize for having not sent my condolences before as we had not heard any news until just recently."_ Merlin quickly translated and Arthur simply nodded to acknowledge the man's words. Stoick threaded his fingers together onto the hard table surface. "_Now, your letters were quite vague but I believe the words 'Saxons' made the intent of these talks quite clear_."

"_The Saxons are amassing an army and intend to take the entire region for themselves."_ Merlin quickly directed to Stoick.

"_We have had very little dealings with them over the past few decades. They have left us relatively alone_," Spitlout said from beside Stoick. "_Why should we enter into a war in which we have no part?"_ Silence reigned for a moment and Merlin turned to Arthur who looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Merlin did not need to use telepathy to read the question in his King's gaze nor did he need to vocalize his agreement to the question asked. He quickly returned his gaze back to the Vikings, slowly translating for their audience as Arthur began to speak.

"_They are being led by the sorceress, Morgana, she is extremely powerful and cares not for others. Her only desire is to take Camelot and destroy her Allies. Our two peoples have had long standing agreements on peace. Morgana will try to utilize that to her advantage_…." Here Arthur stopped and Merlin could see that he had tensed slightly; though you wouldn't see it unless you truly knew the man.

Merlin hesitated before continuing, "…_The sorceress has a white dragon at her side_," he began and Merlin noticed with interest that a few of the Vikings all tensed as well. "_We are aware that you and Arthur's father were once united in the fight against Dragons._" Merlin could tell Arthur was simply baiting for information. "_We have not had a Dragon in Albion in years and so any help in vanquishing it would be of high importance."_ There was a long pause in which the Vikings seemed to have a silent conversation of their own until Stoick turned back to Arthur and gave a large smile.

"_If that is all you need of us, then we have quite a bit of practice in killing dragons!"_ Merlin's stomach fell as the conversation continued. They spoke about how the village had a few captured dragons that they used to train new recruits.

"Would we be able to be shown this arena?" Leon said to Merlin after a moment of drawn out silence. He repeated the question to Stoick who stroked his beard in thought for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement.

"_Yes of course. Spitlout_," he said and the man straightened beside him. "_Go and fetch Hiccup and the others,_" Spitlout, his face drawn into a half scowl, half smile that was hard to read, quickly left through the large wooden doors. Before Merlin could turn to Arthur and ask what they hoped to gain from seeing the place they kill dragons at, Spitlout returned through the door with a grumbling Hiccup, Astrid, and another teen that they had yet to be introduced to following in his wake. "Ah, good! Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs." Stoick said in way of greeting and introduction. Merlin had to congratulate himself on not reacting to the unusual Viking names anymore. He hid a chuckle though as he saw Gwaine trying and failing to not laugh at the man with the unfortunate name of 'Fishlegs.' Arthur, Leon, and Percival fared far better, though the twitch of their lips were still visible to the Court Adviser.

"_Astrid is not very fluent in your language, but Fishlegs is quite knowledgable._" Stoick quickly relayed to Merlin before turning to the teens, "_Show the King and his men our other guests,_" he commanded and, after receiving an unreadable look from Hiccup, the brown haired man turned towards the Camelot party, a large grin forming on his face.

"Killing dragons? Great! This way then!" He said brightly and indicated for the party to follow him. Merlin watched as Astrid shot the man a disgruntled look before shooting the party a large smile of her own. She then turned, and almost manhandled a fidgeting Fishlegs out of the room after their friend. Giving each other varying looks of disbelief and confusion, Arthur finally rolled his eyes and followed the strange group of Berkians.

The walk across the village was long and relatively silent as the bustle of the village made up for any lack of conversations. The fact that Gwaine kept quiet the entire time still baffled Merlin; though, he did catch the roguish man stealing glances around at the passing women. Merlin sped up and, passing Fishlegs, took a position at Hiccup's side.

_"__Your village is beautiful,"_ Merlin began after a moment, his eyes moving over the landscape as they walked.

"_I'm sure it's nothing compared to Camelot,"_ Astrid said from Hiccup's other side.

"_Camelot is a magnificent place_," he said with a nod, then paused to direct his gaze towards the ocean. He felt Hiccup and Astrid's gazes on him as he began again, "_but we certainly don't have this kind of a view. Plus, it kind of reminds me of home,_" he grinned at the confused looks.

"_Our meager homes and facilities remind you of Camelot?"_ Hiccup asked and raised an eyebrow when Merlin laughed.

"_I am not originally from Camelot. I came from a small village on the border of Camelot and Essetir_."

"_Then how did you…?"_ Fishlegs, who walked just behind them, trailed off, as if certain he was being offensive.

"_End up in Camelot? And as the King's adviser?"_ he asked, glancing back in order to prompt a nod from the larger man. "_That is a very long story. The short version, I suppose, is that I went to Camelot in search of a better place to belong and _instead ran into what I thought was an arrogant, pompous, inconsiderate…" he began to ramble and so did not notice that he had switched from Norse to English. He only stopped when a voice, closer than he had thought it should have been, broke his stream of words.

"Merlin." he saw that Hiccup and Astrid had tensed up beside him at the unconcealed anger they detected in the man's voice. Merlin instead kept the pace they were all walking.

"Yes, sire?"

"I had a strange thought that I was possibly being insulted."

"Oh, well that is not good."

"What is not good?"

"You were thinking. Albiet, it was a singular thought so we should be okay as long as…" he cut off in order to duck his head, the warm air against the back of his neck was the only indication that he had indeed avoided the slap.

"Shut up, Merlin," the irritation was clear in his voice.

"Your Majesty," Hiccup began, his accent thicker than Stoicks but still easy enough to understand.

"Arthur, please."

"Arthur," Hiccup smiled briefly before looking at Merlin.

"Lord Merlin was…"

"Merlin," Merlin abruptly cut him off as well and Hiccup blinked in shock for a moment before seeming to remember the previous night as realization dawned anew on his face. He sheepishly gave Merlin a smile before continuing.

"Merlin was telling us a story about his time before he arrived in Camelot."

"Was he now," Arthur said, his arms crossing over his chest though his hard gaze never left Merlin's.

"He was." Astrid chimed in, her accent even thicker than Hiccups and much harder to discern her words because of. She quickly turned the way that they had been heading. "Shall we?" There was a slight edge to her voice and Merlin was impressed to see the woman's strength as he watched Arthur's eyes widen marginally at her tone. After a moment, the King nodded his acquiescence and the party continued on. Merlin found himself again walking beside the Berkian guides and after a few moments of silence he looked to Hiccup.

"_You did not have to do that."_

"_You seemed like you were in trouble_," Hiccup said only to give Merlin a confused look as he openly laughed.

"_I can assure you I was in no danger from Arthur."_

"_You two seem to have a strange relationship…"_ Astrid hedged.

"_You wouldn't be the first to say that. By all extents, he is my brother in all but blood. As I was saying before he interrupted me, I thought I met a man who was like any other noble, uncaring for others and arrogant. It didn't take long to instead find a man who was truly none of those things."_ He looked over to see both Hiccup and Astrid watching him closely as they took in his words. He then grinned, "Besides, who do you think keeps him humble?" he said in English, slightly louder than he had originally been talking and skipped ahead to avoid another slap, the laughter from the three Berkians following in his wake.

After that, the walk was relatively quiet until they came to a sudden wall of stone, they watched as Hiccup and his friends began to walk up a wooden staircase leading up the side of the rock face. Following behind, they came to the top of the rock only to look out at a large drop into the water below. Tensing at the dangerous environment, Merlin kept his eyes on Arthur as they began to cross the long wooden bridge that connected their side to the other. The large structure, covered with a metal roof was visible from the bridge; however, as they hit the half way mark, Merlin felt himself hit a sudden wall. The jolt to his senses was intense and he felt his stomach churn in disgust as the dark magic in the air assaulted him. He felt himself stumble slightly, a fact that would have freaked him out ordinarily since he was on a rickety wooden bridge; however, his magic had stirred the moment he felt the disturbance in the air and all outside factors were whipped from his awareness. Before he could fully will his magic to fight off the pervading darkness, a voice broke through the fog.

"Merlin?" looking up, Merlin met blue eyes. Blinking for a moment to focus his gaze, he nodded slowly. Before he could respond, Arthur's hand descended on his head, forcing him to look at the ground. Wanting to shove the man off, it took a moment for him to realize why. He could feel the heat behind his eyes. The tell-tale sign that his eyes were in fact glowing.

"You okay?" he heard Hiccup ask from somewhere behind Arthur Merlin quickly shoved his magic back down, the heat slowly diminishing.

"Don't mind this clumsy idiot. He can't walk on even ground without falling flat on his face," Arthur said in his usual mocking tone as his hand moved from Merlin's head to his shoulder. Merlin just barely sensed the concern in his voice. After a moment, Merlin finally brought his head up after being sure his eyes were no longer gold. Hiccup stood behind Arthur, his green eyes filled with concern. Merlin smiled as widely as he could.

"Actually, I prefer to call it my own personal aversion to being near one of such high pratiness," he said with nonchalance.

"That is not even a real word, _Mer_lin," Arthur complained, the exasperation in his voice clear and the smile on Merlin's face immediately turned into a full on grin.

"Fine, then you are a vitskertr (1)," He said quickly in Norse and smirked when Hiccup and Astrid tried to hide a building smile while Fishlegs fidgeted uncomfortably.

"and what, may I ask, does that mean?" the hand on his shoulder tightened its hold to an almost painful grip.

"Of course it means courageous, Sire," his innocent façade was broken by the building laughter that was escaping from his Viking guides as Hiccup translated the unknown words to Astrid. The smile on Hiccup's face split into a large grin as he nodded to Merlin before turning and continuing on. The others following at a slower pace. The hand on his shoulder kept him back and he and Arthur fell to the back of the group with Leon moving forward to speak with Hiccup.

"What was that?" the words were said softly so as not to let the wind carry them. Now that Merlin was focused on the outside force again, he could not help the grunt of pain that escaped him as they continued walking further into the dense magic. "Merlin?"

"There is heavy magic here," he said simply, almost forcing the words through his lips. "The air is filled with death. The rest of the village had a slight presence but it was so small I didn't pay it much mind. But here…" He could not stop the shudder from moving through his body as the sense of wrongness filled him.

"What do you mean?" He turned his head to look at Arthur before realizing how poor a choice it was as his foot caught in the wood of the bridge and he nearly went down again.

"I mean," he said in irritation as Arthur helped to steady him and he waved off the people up ahead, "that the dragons that were killed here in the past left behind their magic and now the magic in the air has been corrupted. My magic is recoiling against it…" he said, unable to keep the disgust out of his voice as another wave hit him and he had to physically keep himself from reacting.

"Can you hold it together?" He wanted to argue and say that his magic was acting instinctually and it was not his doing; however, he held his tongue instead and simply nodded. The rest of the walk was done in silence. Merlin took strength from the man that walked beside him as the feeling of despair in the air was almost too much to bear. He tried to compare the feeling to when they had stumbled upon the druid shrine in the woods and Elyan had upset a spirit. While the feeling was similar, it was far more powerful this time around. The beings that were slaughtered were more than just his kin but were creatures of the Old Religion. Merlin could sense the magic of the earth and, unlike with the shrine in which the ground had been healed by ancient druid rituals, death and pain lingered in the air.

Stepping off the bridge, they followed Hiccup through the only visible entrance before coming to stand in the center of the arena.

"Alright," Hiccup said, clapping his hands together as everyone formed an irregular shaped circle. "So these dragons are extremely dangerous. Best to stay over here." Instead of waiting for some sort of response, he turned abruptly and went to a lever that sat on the back wall. Pulling it, the internal gates began to slowly rise and Merlin could not help the widening of his eyes as he stared upon the Dragons before him. He could not determine if he was more shocked by them being caged or by the appearance of the dragons themselves. Completely focused on the dragons, Merlin almost missed the words being spoken around him by the gathered men.

"I have never seen such beasts before," Arthur said cautiously. The dragon they stood before, though nowhere near the size of Kilgharrah, certainly made them feel insignificant. The creature was a massive beast with a bright red body and an enormous under bite with teeth protruding up from its bottom jaw. The dragon had been laying down within its cage and, picking up its head when the light shown into its space, its large yellow eyes quickly scanned the gathered men. As the eyes moved over Merlin, he found himself holding his breathe only for them to pass right over him. He heaved a sigh of relief before he suddenly found the eyes back on him and he found he couldn't look away from the bright gaze.

"How dangerous are they?" Merlin heard Leon ask somewhere around him and forced himself to break the eye contact though he continued to feel it. He turned his head and saw Hiccup perk up at the question. Looking at the man, he thought he saw a strange glint in his eyes before it was gone.

"This particular dragon is known as a Monstrous Nightmare," Hiccup began and Merlin could not help but bristle at the unflattering name. "But, if you want more details about them, our dragon expert here would be the best person to ask," he said, walking up to Fishlegs who he clapped on the back in a friendly gesture. Fishlegs, who was wringing his hands, looked up in shock.

"M…Me? I mean, sure, I have studied the dragon book, but you are the dragon master…" he suddenly stopped talking as Hiccup, in a very unsubtle manner, jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow. Fishlegs seemed to spook for a moment and covered his mouth with his hands.

"You know I can't stand that title, Fishlegs," Hiccup said quickly, his tone had an edge to it as if we were angry, though the emotion did not seem to fit with the unusual expression that graced the man's face as if he was simply uncomfortable. "I much prefer dragon slayer, better ring to it," his speech had quickened and he turned away from the group in order to look at the rest of the dragons. "So shall we continue the tour?" He began towards a gate that held a large green two headed dragon whose heads kept banging against each other in order to have a better look at the group. Once the group had moved in front of the cage, Merlin could not help but fidget as, though it was not obvious, he knew instinctively that the two heads began to fight over who was able to have better access at staring at him.

"This is a Zippleback," Hiccup began as Merlin began to hedge himself slowly to the back of the group. He effectively managed to subtly place himself somewhat behind Percival though his large shield did not prevent the dragons from trying to stare at him. Percival turned to look at the Warlock with a raised eyebrow and Merlin could only shrug his shoulders in answer. Merlin then glared at Gwaine who snorted in amusement before turning back to the conversation.

"This kind of dragon breathes a green gas with its right head and ignites it with a spark from its left head. The explosion is often lethal," Fishlegs had taken over at this point and his excitement was unusual to say the least for a group who were supposedly filled with hatred towards said beasts. The tour continued around the ring as each dragon was examined and explained but as time grew on, Merlin began to feel the weight of the darkness and did not realize how breathless he felt until after they had finally made their way from the ring and were back over the bridge.

"You alright there, mate?" Gwaine had taken position next to him during their trek back by some unspoken agreement between Gwaine and the King. Merlin had glared at Arthur for his fuss but had relented to have the Knight tag along beside him as they slowly brought up the rear.

"I will be," he said after a moment, knowing that lying never seemed to work anymore.

"So what do you think?" Gwaine suddenly dropped his voice into a whisper and Merlin turned his head to see his uncharacteristically serious gaze before looking ahead again.

"Dragons are supposed to remain free," he said just as softly.

"Guess we have some work to do then," Gwaine said with a sudden grin and Merlin could only nod in agreement

* * *

**(1) Merlin effectively called him a shortwit in Old Norse. I do not speak Old Norse, so the internet is my friend in this instance. **

**Note: I also updated chapter 1. Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the massive delay. I actually had this chapter nearly finished when I had posted chapter 3 but then I re-read it and something just didn't sit well with me. I kept fighting with myself over a particular scene but with the help of **NightsAnger**, I was finally able to come to a decision that I think I am finally okay with. Thank you Nights! Anyway, I have chapter 5 plotted out and its going fairly well. Just so you all know, I just started senior year of college so chapter 5 may be a little delayed; however, it should be out a lot sooner than this one was. I am going to try for Friday (4th) or Saturday (5th) but if there are any issues that cause me to delay, I will put up a notice on my profile (on Saturday, 5th) about the progress of the chapter. If there are any issues you find with the current chapter, let me know and I will go back in and fix it (decided to rush it out tonight!) Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Also, my Beta says Hi!

**MugetsuPipefox: **A stupid grin? Then I guess I achieved my goal! Actually, at this point Arthur would not try to kill a dragon though he would be nervous around one if Merlin wasn't nearby!

**Ambiguous Cake: **I thank the writing g-ds every time someone tells me I managed to keep the characters true to themselves! If it was just one of these two fandoms it would be much easier but trying to bridge the gaps between the two has been quite the challenge! Hope you like this next chapter!

**Megwar:** Hi Megwar! Glad you liked the new chapter 1. :D I didn't want to change it at first but I'm happy with how it came out. When I read your review I couldn't help but imagine the dragons as puppies with Merlin and it certainly made my day! As for the reveal, not to worry! It won't be this chapter but I can guarantee it will happen in either the 5th or 6th chapter. How did you like "Race to the Edge?" I watched them all in two days and immediately demanded more!

**IWasNeverReal: **I certainly appreciate the toothless plushies! Glad you loved it! I'm finishing this up and writing more of chapter 5 instead of doing school work ;)

**FlyingLovegood123: **My original thoughts when I first decided on the plot: "How could it not be a misunderstanding when these two fandoms are involved?" XD The location of the other dragons will be explained here! Hope you like it!

**Unformal Sorrelle: **Gwaine and Apples. How could I not? ;P I'm glad someone else got as much enjoyment out of that little detail as me! Then again, that part wrote itself. Now, here is the Viking side of things!

_**Reminder**_

_"Norse"_

"English"

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Merlin or How to Train Your Dragon

* * *

With a sigh, Hiccup let the door to the Great Hall slam behind him as he trudged inside. Luckily the day had been nowhere as nerve wracking as when Dagur had first visited. However, he couldn't help but feel weird every time he lied to the Camelot party. The feeling only increased whenever it was a lie directed towards Merlin. The man confused him in more ways than one, he seemed to have such a grace about him and yet had changed drastically once they got closer to the dragon academy. He could not think further on the issue as a grape suddenly flew by his head, missing him by about an inch. Looking over to the tables, he saw the other dragon riders seated around Snotlout whose entire upper body was draped on the table as he flicked grapes in random directions.

"_Uh, whats going on?"_ Hiccup said as he got closer, moving to the left slightly to avoid another mis-aimed projectile.

"_Nothing! That's the issue!"_ Snotlout threw his hands up in the air, the bowl of grapes that he had been using spilling over onto the table's surface at his sudden movement. Knowing that he wasn't going to get a clear answer from his cousin, Hiccup looked towards Astrid who was seated across from said annoyed Viking. Fishlegs was seated on her left and the twins on Snotlout's right.

"_He misses Hookfang,"_ the smirk on her face was hard to miss and Snotlout quickly rounded on her in his tantrum.

"_No! He obviously is missing me! Why couldn't I go with you earlier?"_ he said, his gaze returning to Hiccup's face even as he crossed his arms and his face took on the look of a petulant five year old.

"_I'd say it was because we couldn't afford to let Hookfang react to your presence, but on second thought he actually probably would have just ignored you,"_ Hiccup said, knowing the fact to be true when said dragon and his master were involved. Snotlout rolled his eyes and sat back down on the bench, his head falling onto the hard surface with a loud thud as he began to roll one of the grapes around with his finger.

"_How is Merlin? He looked very pale…" _Fishlegs asked as Hiccup sat on Astrid's other side. Before Hiccup could respond, Ruff quickly stuck her head over.

"_How's Sir Percival?" _Hiccup raised an uncertain eyebrow and she quickly mimicked Snotlout's position on the table with a groan. "_The man…" _Knowing where she was going, Hiccup quickly tuned out her ramblings about the handsome Knight and turned back to Fishlegs.

"_I don't know. I offered to take him to Gothi but he said he just needed some rest so I just brought them back to the house." _Tuff started flicking grapes at Ruff and Snotlout who were bemoaning the surface of the table when they all stopped at the sound of the door to the Great Hall opening. Turning on the bench, Hiccup watched as his father came striding into the room with Gobber and Gothi following in his wake. Recognizing the expression his father wore for what it was, Hiccup got up with a sigh and went to meet Stoick in the middle of the hall, the others following him quickly from behind.

"_Oh, Dad! Great news, the tour went great, no problems what so ever!" _

"_Actually, son, we have a completely different issue." _Hiccup's stomach fell as his father turned abruptly and filed back out of the hall with Gobber and Gothi. Hiccup fell in behind Gobber, knowing his father expected them all to follow.

It did not take long for Hiccup to realize where they were heading: back towards the academy. As they crested the hill that overlooked the bridge, he felt an uncomfortable feeling begin to crawl up his arms. He immediately banished the feeling from his mind. As a child, he had tried to explain the uneasy feeling to others in his village, but no one else had been able to understand or sense it. It was one he always felt whenever he got close to the arena and so had chosen long ago to just ignore it. Now that they were near the academy, Hiccup could easily make out the noise of three distressed dragons. Before he could warn against it, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut had already shoved passed him to run into the academy.

"_Dad?"_

"_I was coming by to check on Bonecrusher," _his father said. Hiccup only raised an eyebrow, deciding it was not the time to ask why his father wasn't following his own orders to stay away from the dragons. "W_hen they suddenly started to, well, do this,"_ they got through the gate and Hiccup stopped in shock. The dragons that were currently housed in the academy were Hookfang, Barf and Belch, and Bonecrusher. The remaining dragons, both those that belonged to the dragon riders and those that just belonged to members of the village, were all within the secret hanger that they had just finished building on the side of Berk. Normally, the other dragon riders would have kept their dragons in the academy as well but lately more and more dragons were acting up whenever they were near the place.

"_I don't get it,"_ he started as they watched Hookfang snarl and spray a jet of flames at Snotlout through the bars of his enclosure.

"_I mean, that isn't unusual behavior…" _Astrid said only to watch as Hookfang then proceeded to ram his head into the side wall,_ "on second thought…"_ The other two dragons were behaving just as viciously. The word 'feral' was a good way to explain it.

"_Uh, guys, a little help here?"_

Running over to the cage that held Barf and Belch, Ruffnut and Tuffnut had squeezed themselves through the bars and were now hanging onto each other in the back corner as a very angry two headed green dragon towered over them.

"_Here you can eat Ruff,"_ Tuff quickly pushed his sister forward only for the two heads to growl in anger at the sudden movement. Ruff quickly sprang backwards into the corner, slapping her twin in the face before she and Ruff were shoved back into the wall by the dragon's tail. Hiccup looked towards Astrid and at her sharp nod, they both lunged towards the cage. Astrid flipped the lever so that the cage door opened up slightly, allowing Hiccup to roll under it. As the cage slammed shut behind him, in tandem with Stoick's panicked call of his name, the two heads immediately swiveled around to lock on him as he stood up. The yellow eyes seemed murky and glazed over, just as Stormfly's had been when she had been kept in the academy a few weeks prior after her stable attached to Astrid's house was 'accidentally' burnt down.

"_Hey, it's okay,"_ he said softly, putting his hands up with his palms out as the two heads dropped down to be at eye level with him. Barf's mouth was slowly drawing open and Hiccup could easily see the green gas starting to form around his lips. Looking to the back corner, he saw that Ruffnut and Tuffnut were still being held against the wall by the dragon's tail. If the gas was ignited within that small space, the dragon would, of course come out unscathed, but he and the twins would not be so lucky. Snapping his gaze back to Barf and Belch, he felt something spark at the base of his throat. _"Barf. Belch. Stop. Now."_ He saw Barf and Belch seem to flinch at his tone and after a second they both blinked. Shaking their heads simultaneously, the cloud in their eyes almost instantly vanished and Hiccup quickly sighed in relief even as Barf and Belch stuck their heads up against either side of his body in an affectionate manner. Rubbing under their jaws, he looked over as the twins quickly scurried out from the corner to take Hiccup's place. Indicating for Astrid to let him out, he ducked under the slightly raised gate only to have an arm suddenly hoist him up into the air in a tight embrace. The air was quickly expelled from his lungs before he was redeposited onto the ground. Stumbling slightly as he caught his breath, he looked up to see his father's prideful yet disapproving gaze.

"_You could have been killed, Hiccup!" _

"_Actually, he seems to be the only one who can stop the dragons whenever they get like that," _Gobber said, rubbing his chin.

"_Figures,"_ Snotlout grumbled from in front of Hookfangs cage_, "Hiccup slayer of Red Death, Hiccup the dragon calmer, Hiccup the…"_ before he could finish his rant, another jet of flames flew from the cage behind him and set his fur vest a flame. Eyes suddenly filled with panic, the man quickly rushed by the group towards a water trough that sat on the other side of the arena. As Snotlout passed by, Hiccup heard a quickly mumbled _"A bit of help!"_ before watching him dive into the water with a sigh of relief. Shaking his head, he quickly turned towards Hookfangs cage only to be forcibly pushed out of the way by Ruff and Tuff. Astrid's hand on his arm allowed him to keep his balance as he watched the twins rush over to Snotlout and 'help' him by pushing and holding him under the water. Hiccup quickly repeated the process on Hookfang and Bonecrusher, having very similar results, before returning to the group at the center of the arena.

"_It's becoming more and more dangerous to hold dragons here,"_ Fishlegs said as Hookfang, who no longer had glazed eyes, instead began to circle his cage in agitation.

"_Any idea Gothi?"_ Gobber asked and everyone waited with baited breath as the woman slowly began to write in the dirt with her staff.

"_Uh, she says that the air is filled with day mail,"_ a grunt of pain quickly followed as Gothi's staff made contact with the helmet on Gobber's head. Holding his helmet to keep it from reverberating, he re-read what she wrote, _"sorry, the air is filled with dark magic she says."_

"_Dark magic?"_ Hiccup asked, not comprehending.

"_She says that the dragons are sensitive to it, whatever it is, and that they are becoming pollenated... sorry, polluted… honestly woman you need to work on your staffwriting,"_ the man flinched as she threatened to hit him once more.

"_Is there anyway for this 'dark magic' to be removed?"_ Stoick asked and Gothi just shrugged her shoulders before erasing her previous drawings with the bottom of her staff and writing something new.

"_She says to ask the human that is of dragon kin." _

A long pause occurred as everyone looked around, as if expecting someone in the group to come up with an answer to this person's identity.

"_Who?"_ Snotlout asked, having finally pushed the twins away and pulled himself from the trough. He was pulling singed pieces of soaked fur from his side as he joined the group.

"_She says the one who is sickened by the dark magic… could you be any less descriptive?"_ Gobber quickly moved backwards as the short tempered woman took another swipe at him before huffing in annoyance and leaving to return to her home. Stoick sighed before turning back to Hiccup.

"_Do everything you can to keep them calm and move them to the hangar. We will deal with this issue once our visitors have left,"_ he said before turning with Gobber and leaving the arena as well. As Hiccup and the other riders moved Hookfang, Barf and Belch, and Bonecrusher to the hangar, he could not help but stop in shock as a pale, raven-haired advisor came to mind, _it couldn't be…but how to be sure…_

* * *

After leaving the dragon arena, Arthur had quickly asked to be excused for the morning after observing Merlin's discomfort. The men enjoyed a private meal in their borrowed home before relaxing for the remainder of the afternoon. They were grateful that the house they resided in was in a more remote area of the village as they rarely heard others roaming about. A nice sense of peace was able to fall over the house compared to the usual chaos that seemed to define the Vikings. Now, having rested out of sight of the arena, the Warlock emerged from the room he shared with Arthur.

"What did you think?" Arthur quickly cut to the chase as Merlin came to the table where the others now stood.

"This entire situation is strange," he said, "It seems as if they are hiding something from us." A nod from Arthur was all the agreement he needed on the matter. However, the confused look from Gwaine prompted him to continue his thought; "Their reactions don't seem right… They jump whenever dragons are brought up…"

"Perhaps the village's hatred for them has truly pushed their paranoia over the edge?" Leon questioned but the room at large stayed silent, unable to think of another reason.

After a moment, Merlin decided to break in again, "Those dragons are very different from Kilgharrah and Aithusa as well. I don't think they can even speak."

"They may not be able to speak to you, but they certainly seem to know you," Gwaine said with a devilish grin, prompting Merlin to roll his eyes at him in response. Merlin saw Arthur straighten and resigned himself for whatever command the prat was about to give.

"We got lucky that they didn't question us. We will have to be more careful in the future." The order was given as if spoken to all but Merlin knew it was directed primarily towards him. "Do you think you will be able to command them?"

Merlin thought about it for a moment and came to the conclusion that, if he is able to give commands to Wyvern, then he should be able to have some sort of influence on the unusual dragons of Berk though it was only a theory. Looking at Arthur and the Knights to provide an explanation, it took him a moment to register that the looks he was getting was because he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"You… can control Wyvern?" Elyan said slowly, as if unable to process the thought. Deciding that it would be a waste to try and take back his words, he merely shrugged.

"They are relatives to the dragons. I do not have complete control over them but I can give commands and they do follow them," he said firmly then under his breath added, "however, begrudgingly they may do so…"

"Regardless, we should be able to continue as planned then," Arthur continued, though the expression he wore told Merlin he had some more explaining to do. The whirlwind activity since his big reveal had kept many of the conversations that they needed to have on the side in terms of importance and moments like these were beginning to grow more normal each day.

"It was hard to feel the link with all the dark magic in the air, but I was able to feel a connection between us. We could feel each other as kin." Gwaine opened his mouth at this point and Merlin braced himself for whatever impertinent comment the rogue man had thought of when there was a knock at the door.

Percival, the closest, waited for Arthur to nod his head before quickly moving into the next room to answer the door. Merlin could just make out Percival's voice before the door was shut and two sets of footsteps were heard making their way towards them. Percival reentered first followed quickly by Hiccup. The Chief's son seemed uncomfortable in the space, especially standing next to Percival. As they entered the room, Merlin noticed that Hiccup's eyes seemed to scan the space only to settle on him for a moment before snapping towards Arthur with a smile.

"The Chief would like to invite you all to dinner in the great hall."

"We would be glad to join you all," Arthur responded without hesitation before gesturing for Hiccup to turn and lead the way.

* * *

Dinner was much like the night of their arrival. Stoick and the elders were seated at the largest table in the room. As they entered, a hush came over the room and Merlin just noticed a few of the Viking men quickly putting down massive legs of what he now knew was yak before continuing to eat in what they probably thought was a more civil manner. Hiding a smirk, he redirected his gaze towards Stoick who halted his own conversation with Spitelout in order to stand. "_My friends, please join us for food and entertainment_," he said, gesturing to the tables laid out with food as Merlin quickly translated. Dinner began with simple pleasantries of which Stoick spoke in Norse, with Merlin translating, in order to prevent his people from feeling left out. As the night wore on, members of the tribe eventually began to get up from their feasting in order to talk and mingle. A few even appeared with bone flute instruments and harps, the room beginning to fill with music and noise. Leon was listening, with a raised eyebrow in unconcealed amusement, as Elyan spoke excitedly with Gobber and Hiccup from across the table; the blacksmith turned Knight asking question after question about the man's unusual arm. Merlin watched as Leon then grimaced when Gobber removed his wooden hand and passed it over the table to Elyan. Smiling, Merlin turned his attention to listening to Gwaine and Percival argue over which of them would win in a log toss, Percival putting his muscled arm up against Gwaine's smaller one for comparison. Suddenly, Merlin felt a kick under the table. Jumping slightly, he turned in his seat to meet Arthur's gaze. The man quirked an eyebrow before taking a sip of his wine; before Merlin could ask or inquire into his friend's actions, Arthur faced forward.

"How long have those dragons been caged for?" The question was directed to Stoick who was speaking with Spitelout about an issue with the fish reserves. Merlin wanted to smack the man for his lack of tact as Stoick straightened and seemed to tense as he understood certain words; however, he could not help but admire the man's ingenuity. Merlin quickly looked at Hiccup and Gobber and watched as both men halted in their conversation with Elyan to also jerk at the dreaded word. Hiccup was the person that Merlin could not fathom. He seemed almost familiar. Merlin knew the man had no magic of his own so the possibility that it was a familiarity based in magic had immediately been thrown out. Before Merlin could try to again put words to it, he heard his name being called.

"_Merlin_," a tense Stoick began and Merlin quickly directed his attention to the Chief, "_Would you translate?"_

"_King Arthur wishes to know how long the dragons in the arena have been caged for," _he said though he kept his voice relatively low. Despite this, he noticed how the others at the table, particularly Spitelout and Astrid all jumped as well.

"_They have been here for a full 6 cycles," _Stoick began and Merlin noted the stiffness of both his voice and profile.

"He says that they have been caged for over 6 summers," he repeated to Arthur who merely nodded his head. Silence reigned for a number of minutes. The music in the room, which Merlin had not noticed had stopped, began again at a slower pace. The table returned to their food but the tension in the air was still thick for the Warlock as he waited for the last thread to break. However, what happened next he was not sure if he should have foreseen or not. After a while the tension had appeared to diminish slightly as the festive vibe returned to the room. However, the tension immediately returned when a loud crash from behind had everyone in the room quickly turning towards the disturbance.

"_Take your eyes off my wife. Knight." _The black haired man sneered and Merlin could not help but grimace. He had not noticed Gwaine or Percival leaving the main table to go and mingle with the villagers, nor had he noticed exactly how many goblets of mead the rogue had already drunk. Arthur never tried to prevent the man from drinking while on Patrol or on duty anymore simply because they all knew the man would never actually do anything to jeopardize a mission. However, though Gwaine was actually able to handle his drink far better than anyone else they knew, this fact still didn't prevent the rogue from being more reckless than he normally would have been if he was entirely sober. The issue, thus, was not that Gwaine was in anyway inebriated at that moment. No, the issue was that the Viking man he was addressing was by far more into his mead than Gwaine. The man staggered to his feet but though he was obviously drunk, his eyes were instead clear and sharp due to his anger. The man's chair lying on its back on the ground the only suspect for the loud noise that now had drawn the attention of the room. The brown haired Viking woman on his left side was clearly unsure of what to do.

Merlin could see that Gwaine had no idea what the man had originally said but blew it off and instead responded with a wide grin even as Percival seemed to tug his arm back. The Viking lifted a fist in Gwaine's direction and Gwaine responded in kind, laughing boisterously into the room, "Think you could take me in a fight?" The man's eyes clouded with confusion before his anger surged back to the surface. The man went to take a swing at Gwaine but before the strike could even follow through, Percival stood on the man's side, his hand catching the fist and twisting the man's arm around his back. Before anything could escalate further, Stoick and Arthur both stood at once.

"_Enough!,"_ Stoick barked into the room and Percival waited for the man he held to sag in his grasp before releasing him to the floor. The man glared up at the two red clad men before rubbing his shoulder.

"_We do not settle our feuds here," _Stoick said, his tone a reminder and the man he was addressing immediately looked down towards the floor as if scolded. _"If you intend to fight, than do so with your honor intact and not swimming in your cups."_

"Sir Gwaine," Arthur demanded and the Knight's head snapped towards the table. His amusement immediately died and he gave an imperceptible shake of his head. He then turned back towards the Viking who was finally fighting to his feet with the help of the brown haired woman.

"I apologize for my behavior, I meant no disrespect to you or your family." Merlin knew that Gwaine was fighting his own desire to brawl. Before he could rush to the man's aid and provide a translation, a voice from behind him spoke up.

"_Sir Gwaine apologizes for his behavior," _Merlin turned slightly so he could see Hiccup who was standing with a bit of a slouch. His eyes, on the other hand, were strong and determined and the man who was on the receiving end of both Stoick and Hiccup's gaze immediately looked away. "_He says he meant no disrespect, we should give our guests the same in return." _Though it was not the reason why Hiccup seemed so familiar to him, Merlin finally worked out a connection he had been trying to figure out. Glancing at Stoick, and then finally Arthur, he realized that Hiccup would one day make a brilliant Chief. Merlin then watched as Sir Gwaine held out a hand to the Viking who, after a moment, grasped his hand in return. Percival then extended his hand and the group of Vikings and two knights sat back down. The main table slowly sat with Stoick giving a sigh of relief and then a look of pride towards his son who immediately looked away. However, Merlin continued to watch his two friends and so did not miss the brown haired woman as she seemed to smirk as she said something softly to her husband and then to Gwaine who blinked in response. Merlin realized the woman was speaking English, though he could not tell how fluent she was as he was too far away to hear the continuing conversation. Gwaine then laughed again and gave a blinding smile before shaking his head. The woman responded to her husband in kind and the man gave a roguish grin that could have easily competed with one of Gwaine's. Merlin felt a sense of unease as he saw the woman continue to act as a medium for the two men as they continued to speak.

"_It would seem as if your man is itching for a fight," _He heard Stoick. Instead of translating for Arthur's benefit, who looked at him in annoyance for not doing his job, he instead just answered Stoick.

"_That is Gwaine for you. Prefers action to sitting still."_

"_He would do well as a Viking then," Stoick grinned before looking back over towards the table. Merlin followed his gaze and saw Gwaine and the Viking man nod as if they had come to an agreement. Gwaine then left the table and walked back over, with Percival on his heels and a half formed smile gracing his own features._

"Sire,_"_ Gwaine began and Arthur turned partially in his seat to give his Knight both a surprised and a level look at being addressed in the correct manner._ "_I would like to ask for leave from tomorrow's meetings," Arthur raised an incredulous eyebrow even as Gwaine seemed to be fighting off a smile. "Dag and I intend to spar for some personal entertainment," the grin finally made it to his face and Merlin watched as Arthur's eye twitched in annoyance though the King did not let any other sign show on his face. However, before he could give his obvious objection, Dag had appeared next to Gwaine to ask a similar question of Stoick. Merlin returned his gaze towards Stoick to see the man stroking his beard before sharing a look with Hiccup and Gobber.

"_King Arthur," _Arthur immediately looked away from his grinning Knight to meet eyes with the Chief, "_I am sure you all wish to finish these talks as soon as possible in order to return home, but I wonder if it would be possible to move our next discussion until the day after next?_"

Merlin tilted his head in question, surprised, but Stoick only gestured to Arthur and Merlin quickly acquiesced. "He wants to know if it would be possible for us to hold off on our next council meeting until the day after tomorrow," Arthur raised an eyebrow in question but at Merlin's shrug, he simply returned his gaze to Stoick.

"I see no problem with it," Arthur said after a moment of contemplation. Ignoring Gwaine who seemed to be bouncing on the balls of his feet, Arthur put his forgotten fork down in order to thread his fingers together on the hard wooden surface. "Might I inquire as to why?"

"_Arthur agrees to the idea. Would we be able to inquire as to why?"_

"_As Sir Gwaine probably said, the desire for a competition has been requested and I cannot dissuade my people from finding enjoyment. On top of that, as I am sure Uther probably once mentioned_," he said, pausing in order to let Merlin translate. However, as soon as Merlin completed the sentence, he was stopped as a loud noise broke out from behind yet again. Turning as if one body, the members of the table all caught sight of two younger vikings, who looked almost identical, as the female started to bash the male over the head with her empty goblet. Another man, who looked like a close relative of Spitelout, and Fishlegs were watching on as if it was a normal occurrence. _"Vikings cannot be dissuaded,"_ Stoick continued, no apology in his voice at all and Merlin could not help but smile. As they all turned back to the table, Merlin caught the slight grimace on Leon's face. The smirks fully formed on Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan's faces told a completely different story.

"I see," was all Arthur was able to say for the moment.

"_In fact, perhaps an event for all to enjoy,_" Stoick continued but it seemed as if he was speaking more for his own benefit then to those at the table.

"_What do you mean?"_ Merlin asked. Stoick then turned to address Gwaine and Dag who still stood near the table.

"_What type of competition have you agreed too?" _Merlin translated at Gwaine's prompting.

"We never got that far. What kinds of sport do you have here?" the man's smile seemed to grow as he asked the question and leaned forward on the table.

Merlin narrowed his eyes at Gwaine who simply gave a go on motion with his hand. He turned back to Stoick who already had a smile growing on his face before he even began to translate.

"_A good many actually. Feats of strength such as the log toss and wrestling matches. We also pride ourselves on our weapon fighting_," he said and, it was with this statement that Merlin almost groaned in annoyance. He felt more then saw Arthur straighten as he repeated the words.

"_Perhaps we should include more individuals in this competition? Would the rest of your warriors be interested in testing their strength against ours_?" he asked in a louder than necessary voice and this time Merlin did groan. The room at large had quickly gone silent at their Chief's words and Arthur turned to Merlin for a translation; however, before Merlin could respond, Stoick spoke up again. "King Arthur, your warriors against ours in a tournament of strength?" Though the accent was thick and some words were not perfectly pronounced, the words were easy enough to understand. Merlin groaned again at the determination that had immediately entered Arthur's eyes.

"We certainly haven't had much chance to work ourselves over these past few weeks," Arthur began and Merlin could not help but scoff even as he received a glare for his troubles. "We accept your challenge," Arthur continued before holding his hand out across the table as a sign of his agreement. Stoick laughed heartily before leaning over and grabbing Arthur's arm before releasing it and standing to face his people.

"_My friends! Our guests have agreed to a competition! Let us see who prevails: Viking or Knight!"_ Merlin's head dropped onto the surface of the table with a slight 'thunk' even as the room erupted into cheers. A large hand landing on his shoulder told him Percival was trying to be reassuring but it did little to help his already frayed nerves. He heard the Knights beginning to discuss the coming day but kept out of the conversation as he kept his head down.

"_Not a fan?" _A voice asked opposite him and he brought his head up to find Hiccup trying to fight off a smile.

"_Can't really say I find people getting the seven bells knocked out of them fun," _he said with a grin in Arthur's direction. The man narrowed his eyes at the look before returning to his own conversation with Leon.

"_I have to say I agree," _Hiccup said as Astrid shook her head.

"_You do?" _Merlin asked, his eyes scanning the room as he suddenly saw Gwaine getting into an arm wrestling match with the man now known as Dag; Percival and Elyan cheering him on.

"_I'm not much of a Viking," _Hiccup answered.

"_That's okay, I'm not much of a noble,"_ Merlin said, Hiccup and Astrid smirking at the information he provided earlier that day.

"Will not you fight?" Astrid said, her sudden switch to English confusing Merlin for a second as her heavy accent and her mispronunciation of a few letters made her speech slightly hard to follow.

"_She's practicing_," Hiccup supplied and Merlin's eyes widened as he watched Astrid blush and scowl at the table's surface.

"_Never feel shame for that. I know it took me months just to figure out how you accent your 'i', _he said before Astrid and Hiccup suddenly started laughing. Blinking in confusion, he analyzed what he just said before realizing he had messed up the 'i.' Grinning, he waited until they had stopped laughing.

"Never answered question," Astrid continued, before giving a small smile of thanks as Merlin quickly helped her correct her speech.

"But of course I will!" he said dramatically, waiting as Hiccup translated a word each time Astrid gave him a confused look "How could one such as me not compete" he finished, flexing one of his arms only to have Arthur slug him in the shoulder. The other knights began to laugh and Merlin joined in to show Astrid and Hiccup that it was not a real insult. "_Besides, what you may lack in strength, one always makes up with other skills." _He said, not missing the significant look that Astrid shot Hiccup before Merlin decided to return the subject to the competition, _"and will you be taking part?"_

Shrugging, Astrid gave a wide grin, "_We are Vikings," _she said before jabbing Hiccup in the side with her elbow in a joking manner,_ "we can never say no to a challenge. How about it then? Can you?" _She again directed her gaze to Merlin and he felt the steady fire behind her eyes.

"_I'm not very good at fighting," _he said with a shrug.

"_Well, what you may lack in fighting, you can make up with another skill," _Astrid shot back and Merlin could not help but grin at the tenacity. He couldn't help but imagine Arthur using that exact method against him.

"_If my father has his way, there will be plenty of different activities in the Arena, I'm sure…" _Hiccup's voice seemed to cut out and it wasn't until Merlin realized it was because he had frozen at the word 'Arena' that he lifted his eyes to Hiccup's concerned gaze.

"_The arena?" _ Merlin wanted to kick himself for nearly choking on the word as Hiccup gave him an unreadable look.

"_You seemed very uncomfortable there earlier," _Hiccup said; the barely heard question tacked on at the end. Merlin realized that Hiccup was a much more perceptive Viking then he had thought.

"_Bit of a bad past experience with dragons," _Merlin quickly answered, looking towards Arthur before remembering that the man could not understand the current conversation. Grimacing, he looked towards Hiccup and Astrid again to see them watching him carefully. Coughing into his hand and clearing his throat, he stood up abruptly. Arthur and the Knights, as if attuned to him now, immediately stopped their conversations and looked to the Warlock. Grimacing again he directed his gaze to Stoick.

"_I find myself feeling still under the weather from this morning, if you will all excuse me?" _he said.

"_But of course, Merlin, I hope the nights rest sees you better come tomorrow," _Stoick said after a moment of silence. Merlin then turned from the Vikings to look at Arthur who gave him a steady look. The question in the King's eyes was plain, 'Are you okay?_'_

"By your leave, Sire?" Merlin said, and Arthur paused before giving a quick nod of his head. He knew Arthur was uncertain of what he had just said to Stoick but at the moment he didn't care to translate. Besides, Hiccup could act as translator in his absence. He turned quickly on his heels and strode from the hall, intent on getting out as soon as he could even as he felt multiple sets of eyes on his retreating back.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: FIRST! This chapter is finished but not fully edited. I am leaving the country for two weeks and so am unable to finish but wanted to get up what I had. If anything is glaringly wrong, I will return to this chapter and fix it. **

So aside from college and senior year completely taking over my life, I have no other excuses except for a bad case of writers block. One scene in this chapter just refused to write itself so I apologize this took so long. I hope it's worth the wait and I decided to add in a few extra portions to make it a bit more interesting overall. I've always had a plan for how this story was meant to go and luckily it hasn't deviated to far from the original plot. I have to say, my main issue is working with the language barrier I created for this story! Let me know if it becomes a problem as you read and I'll go back through and make changes as needed.

The next chapter is nearly finished but I am actually leaving the country tomorrow at 6 am and won't be back for two weeks (the 19th). It is a school sponsored trip so I will be unable to do any writing. Once I return, I will do my best to finish working on the next chapter.

**Mizzymel:** Thanks for your reviews! I completely understand where you are coming from. My main issue with the show had also been the unfortunate lack of resolve in regards to Merlin's status; both publically and in Arthur's eyes. I apologize if Arthur seems like such a prat (though it's hard not to write him that way when the show clearly places him in that regard where Merlin is involved). My reasoning came from the fact that this story takes place really over a month or so after the reveal. Not to mention, the scene in chapter 2 happened after being on a boat for over a week (the fact that tension is building and Arthur had to leave his Kingdom also puts another nail in the door). Since Merlin always let himself be Arthur's outlet, it just seemed right for Merlin to continue to take that place for his friend. Not to mention, though he was accepted and is the court adviser, Arthur is still coming to terms with all the lies which is why their relationship may seem at odds at times and why Merlin is defending himself only at certain points. Merlin has status and respect, but also wants to tread carefully around Arthur (Arthur still doesn't know everything yet!). I hope that explains my reasoning a bit on why the characters may act the way they do.

**Eventyraren**: this takes place roughly 4 or so months before the start of HTTYD2. I have yet to decide where it relates to the TV series due to the episodes that have yet to air.

**NightsAnger: T**hanks for your messages, both reviews and PMs! Hopefully this chapter holds up to expectations!

**Ambiguous Cake, FlyingLoveGood: **Indeed more misunderstandings! These fandoms are nearly built on them XD But hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint.

You are all amazing and thank you for sticking with this fic! Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Key to Language Format 

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse"_

'_Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback _

**"Mag****ic" **

**"_language of the dragons"_**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Merlin or How to Train Your Dragon. A few ideas used in this chapter are thanks to **NightsAnger.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Hiccup had just returned the Camelot party to their accommodations and was glad to finally be home. Closing the door behind him, he suddenly found himself roughly pushed backwards against the wooden surface as a large body slammed into him.

"Woah! Bud, what are you doing here?" Pushing the black dragon off his upper body and wiping dragon saliva from his face, he looked up only to see his father seated at the table. "Oh, dad! So, uh, how are you?" He said as he stood back up to his feet and pushed a still excited Toothless behind his back.

"I can see him," Stoick said with a slight snap to his voice. Hiccup slumped forward towards the table as Toothless followed at a more sedate pace. Sitting himself at the table, Hiccup waited for his father to speak. "I know Toothless doesn't like to be separated from you but he has to stay in the hangar until they leave," he said while trying to ignore the sad look being given to him by said dragon. Shaking his head, he stood up. "Get him back to the hangar Hiccup. Now." He said and with one more stern look, left the room. Sighing, Hiccup only had a second of peace before a large head was pushed into his side. Rubbing the top of Toothless's head absently, he watched as his friend turned his eyes towards the window.

"No can do, Toothless. We can't go flying while they are here." Toothless sat down on the ground, cocking his head to the side and Hiccup quickly turned his head away to ignore the pleading look. He began walking around the room to extinguish the candles when he noticed a loud banging noise. Knowing it was Toothless whacking his tail into the ground incessantly; he finally sighed and turned around. The tail stopped an inch from the ground; his head leaned to the other side before bobbing his head up and down twice and giving a low noise from deep in the back of his throat.

"Honestly, you big baby, it's only a few more days." Hiccup moved forward to pat his friend on the head when Toothless snorted and abruptly turned to disappear up the staircase. Sighing, he extinguished the last candle, the room went dark as he slowly felt his way in the darkness and followed after his disgruntled best friend.

* * *

Merlin was lying on his bed when the door to the room opened. Facing the wall, he braced himself as he heard Arthur's footfalls and the shutting of the door. However, the King said nothing as he moved towards his own bed. The sound of shifting material told him that Arthur was changing into his night shirt. The silence continued even after Merlin heard the bed creak as Arthur moved to sit down on the hard surface. Moments passed and Merlin guessed nothing was going to be said until finally the man voiced his thoughts.

"What was that about earlier?" his tone was quiet and he could hear the concealed concern; however, the slight bite in the words was obvious, 'and don't lie to me.' Merlin considered the fact that Arthur must have told the Knights to leave well alone for the night or they would have been crowding the room for answers as well.

"The competition is to be held in the arena," he said, hoping to have the subject drop there. Arthur shifted in the darkness but made no further indication of acknowledgment. After another gap of time, Merlin finally sighed before sitting up and turning to face the other man. The room was already shrouded in darkness before a quick flick of gold caused one of the candles in the room to flare to life. Arthur's face, now illuminated, gave away no reaction.

"I need you to be there tomorrow," Arthur finally said and Merlin only nodded his agreement. He knew he would need to be there. He did not distrust the Vikings; he honestly found them to be a pleasant group. However, he had seen plenty of evidence in regards to their more 'barbaric' ways and if the Knights and Arthur intended to take part in these games, some semblance of protection, however invisible it may be, would be necessary to have. "Is there anything you can do?" Arthur continued and Merlin did not have to ask what he meant. Arthur waited in silence as Merlin contemplated the idea. He had been trying to figure it out since he had left the Great Hall two hours earlier. The darkness in the air was suffocating because it was being drawn towards him.

Suddenly, an idea sparked. He got up quickly and moved towards the only chair in the room. Grabbing his blue cloak, he returned to sit on the bed. Ignoring Arthur's curious gaze, he turned the cloak over in order to find the hidden pocket he had created before pulling out his dagger. Ignoring Arthur's look of disapproval for adjusting the cloak Gwen had made, he pushed the cloak to the side so that he was concentrated on the dagger. It was a simple blade, with only an engraving of a merlin in flight on the hilt. It had been a gift from the Knights when he had been appointed to Court Advisor.

"_I really don't need a dagger," Merlin said for the 6__th__ time. He was not really opposed to having a weapon; he was more opposed to the fact that the dagger was not cheap, even if Elyan had made it himself. _

"_We understand that, Mate," Gwaine said with a flick of his wrist, an action that was becoming regular as the man thought it was a good way of mimicking how Merlin did magic._

"_We want you to have something on you just in case," Elyan said, "You said so yourself that Magic cannot solve everything." _

Holding his hand over the blade now, Merlin could not help but be truly grateful for their thoughtfulness. "**hilderand þæt sáwol**"he felt the heat behind his eyes as he willed his magic into the blade. As the spell finished, he eyed the blade for a moment before Arthur decided to interrupt the silence again.

"Well?" looking up from the weapon, Arthur's eyes were locked on the dagger in his hand and though his expression seemed unreadable, the barely concealed awe still made Merlin shift uncomfortably.

"I put a shield charm on it. It should block most of the magic from getting to me."

"Should?" Arthur's gaze snapped up from the blade to meet Merlin's and Merlin bristled at the tone.

"I've never used that spell before," he said before noticing a glint of amusement in the King's eyes. Eyes flashing gold once more, he sent one of his pillows flying at the monarch only to have Arthur duck before it could whack him in the face.

"Thank you, Merlin. These beds are dreadfully hard." he said before taking the pillow and putting it on his own two pillows before laying down on all three. Blinking in shock as Arthur quickly blew out the candle; Merlin could not help but chuckle as he uttered one word into the sudden darkness:

"Prat."

* * *

(Dawn of the third day)

The next morning saw Merlin jumping at every little noise. His nerves were frayed as he tried to prepare himself for the coming difficulties of the day. The Knights and Arthur, who normally would be teasing him for his startled deer impressions, were instead quiet and keeping a large distance. For once, he was grateful that they were not smothering him with their concern. Instead, they were all seated haphazardly around the small space sharpening their weapons or preparing their armour for the coming afternoon. The noise from outside, which was barely muffled by the thin walls of the house, was exuberant as the festivities began early.

Later, as they all sat down for a quick private meal, the quiet was finally broken. "So how you holding up?" Gwaine asked, the usual culprit of what they dubbed 'a lack of tact.' Merlin watched as the others shot the man a glare even as their four servants brought in dishes of food. With a sigh, Merlin picked up a cup of water, however, as he did so, his hand just so happened to brush one of the servants who was putting down a plate of meats. As the servant jerked his arm back and the members of the round table all seemed to tense, Merlin smiled in the young boys direction before the servant quickly bowed his head to the table at large and practically ran from the room. While only Arthur's inner circle knew about his magic in Camelot, the ability to keep it 100% silent on a relatively small ship ended poorly as the few other men they brought with them soon discovered the secret.

"Merlin…"

"Its fine," he said abruptly, cutting Gwaine off before taking a sip of the cool liquid. He could see each man debating whether to say something. He even noticed Arthur shooting the door a look as if he planned to go after the boy and give him a hard lecture. Setting down his cup with a bit more force then was necessary, the liquid almost sloshing over the rim, he turned fully to Gwaine.

"To answer your question," he said, the Knight's eyes snapped to Merlin's face. "I'm about ready to teleport myself back to Camelot," giving a nervous chuckle at the startled looks on their faces. "Granted I've never tried that before so I'm not about to try it now, especially this far away from the destination," he saw Arthur give a small breathe of relief. "But I think I have a temporary solution so I should be fine," he quickly pulled the dagger out of a side sheath that was hidden under his tunic. It had been Arthur's only one and Merlin had initially refused it but Arthur had been adamant about giving it to him that morning. "I put a simple shielding ward on the blade. So long as I have a physical connection to it, it'll create a barrier around me."

"Why did you use the dagger?" Elyan asked as he ate a large piece of meat.

"What I had on hand." He shrugged. "I suppose I could have used my cloak," he said before holding the dagger out in the palm of his hand, willing his magic, he felt his eyes flash and the point of the dagger sparked with a small flicker of light. As it flared to life, he felt, more than he saw, the barrier form around him in a lazy non corporeal form. He ignored the slight flinch that he saw Leon give at his sudden use of magic. He understood that two months was not enough time to throw away old fears. Having never used the spell previously, he had decided to forego using it directly on himself, the possibly nasty effects he could have lived without. However, because it was being placed on a nonliving object, the spell was by far much weaker than it was meant to be. It was supposed to completely block all outside sources of danger but he could still feel the outside world. He noticed the change instantly as a sudden pressure fell upon his body. Taking in a quick breathe of air as if he had been submerged, he blinked a few times as his senses adjusted. Grabbing the blade tighter, he looked up from the flaring tip to see his friends. Grinning past the discomfort that the barrier caused, he said, "but I think it would have been a bit more obvious if my cloak suddenly started glowing around me," he continued, extinguishing the magic in the blade and letting the barrier fall.

"Thank small mercies for you actually thinking," Arthur quipped and the table finally laughed, the tension from the morning dissolving into a normal comradery.

* * *

Shortly before noon, Hiccup and Astrid arrived to walk with the Camelot party towards the arena.

When Merlin had first seen the village, it had been a simple lifestyle, much like his home of Ealdor. Now, the competitive air had turned the village into true chaos as people scurried through town, laden with armor and packages from the blacksmith.

As the group made their way into the arena, Merlin stopped himself from choking on the air. He briefly touched the dagger hidden on his side and ducked his head down as they entered through the metal gate so that the flash of his eyes would not be visible. He felt the magic constricting his chest recede. It did not vanish entirely, he realized, but was simply pushed back as if by an invisible shield. Raising his head, he realized that Hiccup had dropped back slightly and was eyeing him out of the corner of his eye. Had he been looking elsewhere, he would have missed the widening of Hiccup's eyes. He was about to turn only for Hiccup to suddenly appear on his other side. Right before Hiccup's body blocked his view, he saw a blur of black rush by the entrance to the arena.

"Ah we should hurry," Hiccup said suddenly, before forcibly pulling Merlin forward. Meeting Arthur and the Knights bewildered eyes, Merlin could only shrug as he was pulled past them into the center of the ring. The stands that lined the top wooden ring of the deep stone pit were filled to the brim with Vikings. At the back of the arena, on top of the wooden ring was a raised landing on which four large chairs sat. Gobber sat in the furthest seat with Stoick on his left as the party made their way across the pit. Stoick then stood and met them at the top of the steps and quickly waved Arthur to the third wooden seat that was adjacent to his own. The Knights took seats on the nearby stands while Hiccup and Astrid quickly joined the other young adults. Merlin, without thinking, went to stand behind Arthur's seat before a raised eyebrow from said King sent the Warlock rubbing his neck sheepishly and taking the fourth wooden seat. He pointedly ignored the questioning looks from Gobber and Stoick and the snickering laughs from the Knights.

"_Today is a joyous occasion!" _Stoick suddenly shouted out into the chaos and the stands quieted instantaneously. Every woman, man, and child turned towards their Chief as if by magic and Merlin could easily see the respect shining in Arthur's gaze. When they had first arrived, it had been obvious that Arthur had been disquieted at the lifestyles of the Vikings. His father's teachings still too close to the man's heart. However, once they had been inside the Meade Hall, Arthur had seemed to relax and accept all that was occurring around him.

"_Our last competition with Camelot saw them the victor. Let us see who shall stand this time!" _The crowd roared with applause. _"Any individual can step into this arena and declare a challenge but only if someone accepts of their own volition will the challenge proceed."_ Merlin leaned over towards Arthur in order to repeat Stoick's words. Stoick suddenly turned to the King himself, _"Is that acceptable for you and your Knights?"_

"It is certainly an unusual method. But we are within your home and so your traditions shall, of course, be upheld by us as well." Merlin repeated the words and Stoick grinned behind his beard. He then waved to a man in the stands. Instead of making his way to the stairs, the man gripped the metal dome and slid himself through the bars to land in the pit on his feet. No longer filled with meade, Dag stood tall and grabbed a broadsword from the side of the arena before coming to stand in the middle.

"_A sword fight! Any sword of your choice," _though the man swept his eyes across the crowd, as if seeking a challenger, Merlin watched as his eyes immediately landed on the spot where the Knights of Camelot were seated.

"No need to show off for me, mate," Gwaine said offhandedly with a flip of his hair. Percival rolled his eyes and shoved the man forward. Grinning, Gwaine followed Dag's method and quickly jumped down into the arena; his sword coming clean of his scabbard before he ever hit the ground.

"_First man to yield!"_ Stoick said before repeating the rule in English for Gwaine's benefit.

"_Begin!"_ Stoick called into the silence and Merlin was shocked to see the Viking suddenly lunge for the rouge. His sword made a large arc towards Gwaine who just barely had time enough to dive to the side to avoid the coming blade. Rolling to his feet, Gwaine jumped up with a lunge of his own as his sword met Dag's. The ringing of metal was quickly drowned out as the crowd cheered and taunted both sides. Merlin was watching the match but soon found his vision going black as the magic in the air began to swarm him again. A sudden voice made him blink, his eyes refocusing on the match as Gwaine and Dag began to circle each other.

"What do you think?" Arthur's voice was suddenly very close to Merlin's head as he realized the King was leaning over the side of his chair in order to speak over the noise of the crowd. Dag and Gwaine were still circling each other and as Dag turned his back towards the Chief stands, Merlin saw the Knight suddenly smirk. Shifting his sword to be in front of him instead of at the ready at his side, Dag suddenly brought his hands up in front of his face as if shielding his eyes. Confused for a moment, Merlin quickly realized that the sun was directly behind where he and Arthur sat.

"I think Gwaine is still Gwaine," Merlin grinned even as he heard Arthur sigh at his Knights less than honorable fighting style. They watched Gwaine move forward without dropping his swords unusual position. As Gwaine got within sword length of the man who was attempting to keep Gwaine in his very limited field of vision, (seeing as he had a light shining in his face), Gwaine suddenly dropped his sword and thrusted it forward. The Viking barely was able to parry the blow and stumbled backwards, as Gwaine shifted again and brought his sword hilt into the man's undefended side. Dag fell backwards landing on his back with a sword pointed at his neck. The silence of the crowd lasted only a second of time before every Viking and Knight was cheering and applauding the display even as Gwaine held out a hand to help his opponent back to his feet.

_"An impressive win,"_ Stoick said over the noise of the cheering crowd. Gwaine ad Dag were slowly making their way out of the pit and Arthur was trying to ignore the looks Gwaine was not only sending but receiving in kind.

The challenges continued in the descending light of the sun. Leon ended up accepting a challenge from a younger male viking. For a while the sword fight was equal between the two men. Neither was able to gain ground for a number of minutes until, suddenly, the Viking had twisted his sword into the ground and with the tip of the blade, kicked up dirt into Leon's face. Surprised by the tactic, Leon quickly found himself lying on his back with two swords at his neck.

_"Your men are honorable fighters, Arthur, but some training in improvisation may do them some good,"_ Merlin tried to re-word Stoick's message as best he could but could still see Arthur's irritation.

_"Who shall take the arena next?"_ Stoick called out.

Percival was quick to stand, clapping Leon on the shoulder as he returned to the stands. 'The next victory shall be for you, my friend," Merlin heard the giant say to his fellow comrade in arms. Percival hopped down the stone steps two at a time. The silent man made his way over towards the wall of weapons before reaching down on the ground for a massive axe. He hefted it onto his shoulder and turned towards the stage and, in his normal short speech said, "Axe throwing." Before Stoick could translate for his people, a voice answered the giant.

_"You think you can best us in one of our own games?"_ A man from the stands called out and Merlin quickly picked out Spitelout. The man was sitting down with his arms crossed, his face seemed amused.

Leaning towards Arthur again, he quickly translated before pausing and then adding, "I think we found someone more arrogant than you," a quick slap to the back of his head caused a grin to form as the invisible barrier dulled the pain. Arthur's hand hovered for a moment next to Merlin's head, the King's face morphing into confusion before his eyes widened.

"You aren't keeping that, Merlin."

"What, worried you are going to lose your punching bag?"

"You need a magical shield around you? Always knew…"

"I will accept your challenge!" Spitelout's very poorly spoken shout broke Arthur mid rant as the dark haired man walked down the stairs to meet Percival in the center. Seated by Hiccup, Merlin spied a young man who looked suspiciously like Spitelout. Hiccup was rolling his eyes at Astrid and Fishlegs as the other youth jumped up and down. His voice barely being drowned out by the cheering crowd: _"Spitelout Spitelout, Oi! Oi! Oi!" _

Spitelout walked over to the side and hefted a massive axe into his hands and stood beside Percival as they turned to face the targets that were set up on the far wall.

"Best of three?" Percival asked but before anyone else could speak, Spitelout pulled his arm back and the axe flew forward. The axe hit just left of dead center. Though their backs were to the stands, Merlin could see the sudden tension that filled Spitelout's body. The man then turned to Percival and gave a 'go on' gesture. Percival pulled his arm back and stepped forward before releasing his own axe. The axe flew to the second target and hit true. The chanting of Spitelout's son quickly died off as the crowd quieted.

_"A lucky shot!"_ Spitelout shouted into the silence before jogging forward and grabbing his axe back before jogging back to Percival who was trying to hide a grin on his face.

"You show him Percy! All the tankards of ale you can drink on me when we get back!" The grin on Gwaine's face was quickly mirrored on Percival's before the man turned back to his opponent.

"He can drink you under the table, Mate. You sure you want to hold to that deal?" Elyan teased.

"He only thinks he can..." The knights were drowned out as the pressure seemed to surge around him again. Gripping the arms of his chair, Merlin closed his eyes and drew in shaking breathes of air. A loud thunk barely reached his ears as the dark magic slowly pulled away again. A sudden roar of noise caused him to open his eyes, and he watched as Spitelout roughly pulled his axe from the target again, his face filled with frustration.

_"The Winner, Sir Percival!"_ As Stoick's voice ricocheted across the arena, Spitelout chucked his axe across the ground and quickly made his way back up into the stands.

_"Still a sour sore, huh, Spitelout?"_ Gobber said with a chuckle as Spitelout passed by their seats. Sending a glare towards the blacksmith, the man quickly spun towards Stoick.

_"A re-match! No way a Knight could have defeated me,"_ Merlin was glad that Arthur was unable to understand the man's words but before Arthur could demand for a translation, Stoick stood before his cousin.

_"I think you should wonder how YOU could ever defeat a Knight,"_ The chief's voice was hard and Spitelout's eyes widened before he lowered his head and quickly rushed back to his seat.

"_No need to get all worked up there, Stoick." _Gobber said as Stoick sat back down roughly.

"_He has been causing trouble since the Camelot party arrived, Gobber."_ The words were whispered and, with the pressure surrounding his ears, Merlin just barely caught the meaning. Turning in his seat, he quickly addressed Stoick who turned to face him in surprise.

"_We apologize if our presence…"_

"_No, not at all! My cousin has too much pride in himself, I'm afraid…He has been all words up until now."_

"_Aye, sometimes even a Viking needs to be knocked down a peg… or two," _Gobber adds, with a wink before gesturing to his wooden leg. Merlin tried to laugh at the joke but instead tried to hide a wince at the magic pressing on him.

_"Are you alright, Merlin?"_

"_Yes! Of course, just the loud noises is all. To many slaps to the side of my head"_ he says, trying to ignore the fact that the stands were relatively quiet at the moment as men debated who should initiate the next challenge.

_"I see..."_ though it seemed like Stoick wished to say more, the man closed his mouth and turned to face forward as a new man entered the circle.

Elyan accepted the next challenge, and, though he was more skilled in foreign fighting techniques than Leon, he also went down soon after Stoick called for the start of the fight. A break was called after two more challenges were taken up between the Vikings in the stands. Stoick turned towards Merlin and Arthur.

"_It would seem as if we are tied."_

"It has been an impressive show of strength for all this day," Arthur stated though Merlin could tell he was very annoyed with the fact. "But we cannot leave the score as it is."

Stoick's hand went to his beard as he contemplated the options. No one from the stands was stepping up to make anymore challenges and there was one other issue that Merlin, who was starting to come to the end of his endurance, couldn't help but bring up.

"Ah, its too bad we didn't bring anymore men with us," he said, trying to hide the nervous stutter as Arthur quickly swung his gaze towards his advisor.

"You seem to be forgetting that your King is also a warrior, Merlin." Before Merlin could come up with a witty and completely unreasonable reason why Arthur shouldn't take part (his mind was drawing upon the possibility of using Gwen as his scapegoat) when another voice seemed to save him.

"_What about you, Merlin?"_ Gobber, his supposed saver, quickly started to dig Merlin's grave instead. Turning to the blacksmith, he quickly waved his hands in front of him in a manner of denial.

"_I'm afraid I'm not much of a fighter,"_ he said, only for a hand to land heavily on his shoulder. Looking to his side, he felt his body grow even heavier than it already was as the smile grew on his King's face. Now, Merlin prided himself on his intelligence for being a peasant boy from Ealdor and he never stopped from letting Arthur know it (especially when the man had been so oblivious to his own manservant being a Warlock). However, despite the teasing he gave to Arthur, he had to admit that the King was a bright man. The wicked grin that spread over his supposed friend's face revealed to him that, though Arthur couldn't understand what Gobber had said, he was able read Merlin as well as Merlin could read Arthur.

"You should take up a challenge, Merlin."

"You know exactly why I can't fight," he hissed back only for a blank look to be his answer.

"I knew you were weak and a girl, but this is really quite pathetic." He said casually. Merlin knew the man was just baiting him but, given his past experiences and his recent training, he couldn't stop himself from bristling at the words.

"I am not weak," he growled out only for a hearty laugh to reach his ears. The warlock looked towards Stoick as if hoping for a friend in his terrible world only to see the man nodding in agreement. A sudden glint then seemed to enter the man's eyes as well and Merlin felt the pressure around him finally become unbearable though he could no longer tell if it was from the barrier/magic or from his own heavy burdens.

"_What about Merlin and Hiccup as the final competitors?" St_oick finally said after a moment. Before Gobber could agree or disagree, the chief held up his hand to a section of the stands. Merlin watched as Hiccup slowly stood up from his position besides Fishlegs before slowly making his way over. Merlin looked around in confusion when he realized Astrid was no longer sitting by Hiccup.

"_Yes, dad?"_ he said before he even made it up the stairs. His words easily carried over as everyone in the stand had gone quiet at their chief's movement. Merlin watched as Hiccup seemed to not once keep his eyes on his father. Instead, he eyes were darting around the arena.

"_Everything alright?"_ Stoick's voice suddenly took on an edge and Hiccup's gaze snapped to his father's.

"_Everything is fine! Just looking around for someone,"_ he said, nervously. Stoick was about to speak when Hiccup went on, _"Astrid went to go take care of it."_ Stoick grumbled something under his breath before suddenly grinning and clapping his hands together.

"_We are tied with the Camelot party, King Arthur and I are in agreement that the final battle to decide the winner should be between you and his Advisor, Merlin."_ Merlin gapped in astonishment even as Arthur sat smirking at his side. Though the man had no idea what the Chief had said, Merlin figured the gobsmacked look on Hiccup's face was telling enough. The young man blinked in confusion before suddenly laughing.

"_That's really a good joke dad,"_ he said, running his hand through his hair before looking back at his father and blinking again_. "You… are being serious."_ He partially asked only for his father to nod.

Merlin felt the hand on his shoulder tighten its grip. Turning his head, he looked over to see a suddenly serious Arthur.

"Don't do anything reckless," was all the King said before the hand was quickly removed. Merlin nodded and stood. He understood the King's true message, 'be safe.'

Standing to a sudden bought of applause; Merlin followed Hiccup down the stairs and into the arena. He noticed that the man was looking superficially around in every direction. With his long legs, Merlin was easily able to pick up his pace to walk next to him.

"_So, what should be our challenge?"_ he asked. Hiccup immediately straightened and looked over to him as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Hiccup ran his hand through his hair before eyeing the weapons by the wall. "_I'm not much of a weapon wielder."_ Before Hiccup could agree, as his amused look of understanding made Merlin smile back, the Chief's voice called out.

"_This shall be the final fight! Lord Merlin of Camelot vs Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the III of Berk. A sword fight, last man standing wins!"_ Eye twitching, Merlin refused to look back at Arthur or the Knights as he walked up to the sword rack. Though his fighting ability had improved, he still was no where near on par with the other men in their group. Grabbing one of the smaller blades, he hefted it up to test the balance. Deciding it would be fine, he turned to face Hiccup. The man was pulling a hilt out from his side and Merlin could only blink as the hilt came out without a blade. Before he could ask a question, he heard a click and a blade extended from the hilt.

"_My own creation,"_ an amused face said and Merlin grinned.

"_Elyan is going to hound you for the next two days on how to make one."_

Walking towards the center of the ring, Merlin put his back to Arthur and the Knights and faced Hiccup. To his surprise, Hiccup was not watching him but was looking around the stands.

"_Who are you looking for?" _Hiccup seemed to jump before his eyes snapped to Merlin's face.

"_Just a friend. He tends to get into trouble when he is by himself,"_ raising an eyebrow, Merlin watched as Hiccup seemed to fidget. He was about to ask when a shout from behind halted him.

"_You may begin!"_

A sudden noise was his only warning as the chief's son charged. Though the man was awkward, he was a decent fighter. Merlin dodged as Hiccup's blade swung near his head. However, as Merlin lunged to the side, he realized he made a mistake. He felt more than saw the tip of Hiccup's blade begin to slide through the barrier only to be forcibly pushed out. As Hiccup staggered backwards, Merlin cursed under his breathe, a word that he regrettably learned from Gwaine, and quickly reached for the dagger hidden under his tunic. Praying to the triple g-ddess, Merlin ducked his head down to the ground as he released the spell on the dagger. The barrier vanished as fast as it had appeared. Merlin took in a deep breathe of air only to nearly chock at the suddenly foul magic. "You alright?" Taking in another deep breathe, Merlin raised himself up from the ground and nodded his head at the narrow eyed man. Shifting his foot to the right as Arthur had taught him, he waited for Hiccup to move forward only to feint to the side. Taking Hiccup off guard, Merlin brought his sword up into Hiccups. The sudden contact of the two swords sent a shockwave up Merlin's arm. Hiccup then pushed and Merlin, not accounting for the other man's unusual strength, fell backwards. He would regret his next action for years to come. Falling, the dark magic took this opportunity at his sudden distraction and Merlin felt it touch the back of his mind. Flinching at the intrusion, he instinctively lashed out with his sword, only for a shout to reach his ears.

The magic in the air was suffocating and Merlin made a split second decision to reform the shield. As it sprung up around him again and the air started to clear, he quickly realized that something was indeed wrong. Glancing at the side where Hiccup had landed a blow, he noticed that the shield was shimmering and shifting. To his own ears, he heard a crack and a line started to form in the shield. Staring up at the crack, he watched idly for a moment as a black, nearly invisible, smoke began to come through. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his body off the ground. He turned to face Hiccup only to realize the man was hunched over, leaning on his sword that was stuck fast into the ground. Merlin's eyes zeroed in on Hiccup's arm that hung limply at his side, blood seeping down his fingers. Eyes widening in shock, he was about to take a step forward, his hand reaching out with the intention to heal.

The next instance was a blur. A roar reached his ears and a sudden presence exploded around him. He thought his vision was going black only to realize a second later that a black body had instead taken up his field of vision as it bounded past him and into the center of the arena. Three other presences suddenly reached his mind, two that also seemed familiar before his mind caught up with him again. Stumbling slightly, he couldn't help but gape in shock as a black dragon ran up to Hiccup's side. Unable to speak, he barely registered the same dragon turning towards him and roaring into his face. Hiccup's hand, that was not covering his wound, immiediately found itsway to the dragons head. Patting the dragon, Hiccup said clearly, _"Toothless, no. He didn't mean too."_ The dragon turned its head and its glaring green eyes morphed into wide round circles. The dragon started to rub up against the man's side, nearly pushing Hiccup over in the process. _"Relax, Bud! I'm okay."_

"Hiccup!" the sound of running feet finally reached Merlin's ears as the sword he barely held onto finally fell from his hand. Astrid came up on his otherside, a strip of fabric in her hand as she moved over towards the bleeding man. She didn't even spare the dragon a second glance as she began to wrap the wound. Ears buzzing, Merlin took a single step forward. Astrid and Hiccup's eyes snapped up to him.

_"You..." _Merlin started, looking from Hiccup to Astrid to the black dragon that was again looking around for an apparent threat. "_You... don't actually kill dragons, do you?"_ The silence in the arena was astounding. The sudden beating of wings and a loud thud from behind, followed by Hiccup's eyes widening, was all Merlin was given as warning before he was pushed forward by a snout to the center of his back.

_"Hookfang! No!"_ the shout came from behind even as a sharp ringing noise rented through the air. Merlin thought he heard his name called but ignored it in favor of quickly spinning around on his knees to face behind him only to come face to face with a large, long red face. The monstrous nightmare from the tour stood before him, its neck bent down so its eyes were at level with Merlin's. Blinking in shock, it took him a moment to realize four things:

1) The ringing had been the sound of the knights and Arthur drawing their swords.

2) The space was silent and tense, and many of the Vikings in the stands also now held weapons in front of or above their heads.

3) The first presence that seemed familiar was actually the Hiddeous Zippleback whose twin heads were peaking up over the back of the stands.

4) The second presence, he could feel in the back of his head but, though it was easily recognizable, he could not connect with it like he could with Kilagarrah.

The large head cocked to the side and, though he could not hear the dragon's thoughts, he could read the question in its stunning golden eyes. He couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face as he felt the presence become more insistent.

_"Yes, I recognize you,"_ he said happily, knowing the words had more meaning then just a simple acknowledgment. Putting his hand out only for the dragon to quickly place its snout onto his palm he heard plenty of gasps all around him from the uneasy Vikings. Turning his head towards Hiccup, he couldn't stop but whisper is surprised shock "_They don't kill dragons_," Merlin murmured, a great feeling of elation filling him.

"Merlin," the blunt sound of his name made him look towards Arthur. "They don't kill dragons," he said softly but he knew the words made the journey as, after a moment of continued uncertainty, Arthur finally lowered his sword with the Knights quickly following suit.

"_I take it, neither do you then,"_ Stoick said from behind Hiccup but though he said it like a statement, there was still a questionable tone tacked on at the end.

Hand still being pressed to the snout of 'Hookfang,' Merlin quickly took stock of his surroundings. Another of the young adults, the son of Snotlout was standing to the side with a gob smacked look about him as he watched the dragon. Turning his head, he then watched as Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck only to lunge forward in order to grab the black dragon and stop him from stampeding over towards the bewildered knights. "Well, this is awkward..."

Stoick suddenly turned away and, to the people in the stands yelled, _"I'm afraid we are done for today!"_ The crowd could be heard grumbling and soon men began to yell for explanations.

"_What is the meaning of this!"_

"_Do they or do they not kill dragons?"_

"_They are tricking us!"_

"_Enough_!" Stoick demanded and the crowd again fell silent. "_I shall call for a town meeting tomorrow morning. For now, return to your homes and jobs," _not wanting to inquire their Chief's wrath, the arena was quickly cleared out of all but the Camelot party, Stoick, Gobber, and Hiccup and his friends. Merlin had stayed standing next to the large red dragon, unsure why, but the presence was making his head clearer. He realized that the barrier he had created was breaking. The magical shield, that he could barely make out with his eyes, was cracking around him slowly. The dragon next to him, which was named Hookfang, leaned over suddenly into his side, nearly overbalancing him but the sudden contact allowed him to suddenly breathe normally.

"Merlin?" a second presence on his otherside made him open his eyes and look at Arthur. The concern was barely hidden by the clear fear of being next to such a huge creature. As if understanding, the large red dragon brought its head down around Merlin's back and, sniffing Arthur who visibly stiffened, puts its neck up against Merlin so he could lean back.

"I'm fine. My shield is breaking."

"Breaking?" Leon asked as the Knights slowly followed their King, Gwaine at the forefront of the group as a grin took over his face. Merlin barely registered the grin quickly turning into a frown as his vision started to tunnel.

"_Let us relocate, shall we?" _Stoick quickly said, and thanks to Hiccup for some quick translating, Arthur was quick to agree. Merlin was unable to recall what happened after that point. As a massive red spot took up the remainder of his vision, a deafening roar exploded in his ears.

"…Mer..!"

"He…"

"_Hiccup… get…"_

"…_Meade hall…"_

"_Bud!... wait…"_

Darkness consumed him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey all you dragon riders/warlocks/witches! My trip (which was quite a while ago...) was amazing! Its been a very stressful last few weeks though. This chapter has actually been done for some time but my beta was trying to find time to edit and proofread. She never got a chance to so I ended up asking a different beta for some assistance for the time being. Let me know if we missed anything massive (grammer, spelling, and so on) but I decided that I wanted to get this up now rather than waiting even longer. **

**Keep me updated on your opinions! Your reviews have greatly helped me devise and plan for the coming chapters.**

**(I re-uploaded this just now to make a few changes mentioned to me in the reviews. You guys are amazing!)**

Golden Bearded Dragon: An HTTYD and A:tLA crossover? I am definitely going to check it out sometime this weekend! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Book Keeper: I'm glad the writing is clean and easy to read... I'm really struggling with this because of the language barrier and the differences between the fandoms over all. If at any point my writing takes a sudden turn into the 'this is real poor,' please be sure to shout at me! I'd hate for my writing to suffer! Oh and, I do enjoy a good cliffhanger ;)

Ambiguous Cake: Thanks so much! Hopefully this chapter makes everything fairly clear. This chapter should reveal most of the happenings so if its confusing let me know!

GingerTyPerior, Nenagh, Twirlgirl4life1, WAY: Glad you all enjoyed! I hope this chapter isn't too confusing or fast passed... Given the state of Camelot (ie. incoming war), however, I figured it would be a normal chain of events.

Crossover Addict: I figured it was about time! I may write a few additional chapters at the end with POV changes for some of the chapters.

MugetsuPipefox: Merlin will certainly have some experiences coming up! And I could never leave Kilgharrah out of the fun ;P

NightsAnger: Thanks again! I am indeed still alive! I may need some assistance at some point but I'll be sure to let you know (:

**Now, on to the story!**

Key to Format

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse_"

'_Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback_

"**Dragon"**

"_**Magic"**_

* * *

Sir Percival gingerly picked up the collapsed Court advisor, causing Merlin's head to fall back against the much larger man's bicep as the knight positioned him safely in his arms. Now that all of Berk had fled from their angered Chief, the dragon riders of Berk stood back with Toothless, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch as the Camelot party surrounded their friend.

"_What now, Hiccup?"_ Fishlegs asked from his side as he finished wrapping a strip of fabric around his injured arm. In his nervousness, Fishlegs tightened the fabric more than was necessary and Hiccup had to pull his arm away before he lost all feeling. Another, softer hand took his arm and began rewrapping the bandage in a more comfortable way.

"_Thank you, Astrid,"_ he said with a sigh before turning slowly to face the others. Had he not been staring at them all so intensely, he would not have noticed them all tense as a large hand pushed lightly down on his shoulder.

"Quite the army you got here," the back and forth language was finally starting to grate on his ears. Turning his head, he watched as Sir Gwaine eyed each dragon before turning to face him with the most serious face he had ever seen the man wear. "We did what we thought was best, just as it seems you have," the hand on his shoulder squeezed slightly as the man grinned before turning and hurrying after his comrades.

"_Hiccup!"_ Sighing, he turned to his father. "_Go. Get Gothi and bring her to the Meade hall." _Stoick then turned and followed after the Camelot party who were being led by Gobber. Moving past Astrid and the others, Hiccup walked up to Toothless who finally stopped bouncing up and down the second Hiccup brought his fake leg up. Swinging up into his saddle, he adjusted the tail before turning to face the others.

"_Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff, bring Barf and Belch and Hookfang back to the stables and make sure the other dragons are okay as well. Then meet us in the Meade hall. Also, grab the dragon book and dragons eye." _After a moment of watching the three Vikings argue over where the two items were hidden, Hiccup turned to his last saving grace._ "Fishlegs, go with them and grab the dragon book and dragons eye." _

"_Should we really be bringing our most important secrets to a bunch of dragon killers?" _Snotlout asked in disdain. Hiccup could only stare at him. Thankfully Astrid responded to his cousin instead. Astrid swung Snotlout over her shoulder but any words were lost to Hiccup's ears as Toothless finally lost his patience and took off into the air. Before he knew it, they were above the cloud cover, sailing high over Berk. Taking in a deep breath of cold air, Hiccup leaned forward in order to speak to his eager friend.

"_Come on, bud, we need to go get Gothi,"_ Hiccup said. Toothless shook his head, removing the cloud condensation, before suddenly banking to the side. Leaning back again and switching the tail gear, they sailed through the air towards Gothi's hut. Flying around it twice before finally touching down, Hiccup made to run inside when the door suddenly burst open. He congratulated himself for evading the door but then took two terrible terrors to the chest as they flew out. Gasping, he looked up to see Gothi already standing next to Toothless with a knowing look.

"_We need you to come to the Meade hall. Mer…Lord Merlin has collapsed," _he said as he watched Gothi swing up onto her own dragon partner's back. The purple gronkle lookedat Toothless shortly before lumbering over to the edge of her house and jumping off the side. Rushing over to Toothless and jumping into his own saddle, Hiccup quickly followed.

* * *

The doors to the Meade hall burst open and Arthur could only blink as a short, black haired woman wielding a staff came rushing into the room.

"What is it with physicians being able to move so well in their old age?" Gwaine asked as the woman ran passed him to get to the comatose Merlin who was laid out upon one of the long tables. Elyan looked over to his comrade and shook his head.

"Don't let Gaius hear you say that…"

The door opened once more and a winded Hiccup trailed in after her, a black dragon quickly keeping pace. As Hiccup marched up to Arthur and Stoick, Arthur sensed the movement from his men and quickly turned to face them.

"Stand down," he said curtly as he saw Elyan, Leon, and Percival reach for their swords. Gwaine stood leaning against the table with an excited look on his face. The bea… dragon, blinked at them before walking past and sitting next to his lord. Arthur noted the similarities between Hiccup and Merlin as Hiccup's hand came up to rub the dragon without any real conscious thought.

"This is Gothi, she is the healer of Berk," Hiccup said in way of greeting before looking to Gobber and his father.

Glad for the news, Arthur turned his back on the conversation occurring in Norse and walked towards his best friend.

"Will he be okay?" Arthur asked as the Vikings physician looked over his Court Advisor. The short, black-haired woman looked up at him but continued to remain silent. Trying to fight off his irritation, Arthur stepped back when the woman waved him aside.

The doors to the hall opened yet again to allow Astrid, Fishlegs, and three other teens into the room. One looked suspiciously like Spitelout and the other two were obviously twins. They all walked up to Hiccup and one of the twins gestured towards Merlin.

"_hann dauðr?" _he said in an excited manner.

"_nei" _Hiccup rolled his eyes and shook his head. The twins head seemed to fall in dismay. Raising an eyebrow at Hiccup, Arthur gestured towards Merlin for an explanation.

"This is Tuffnut," Hiccup gestured to what Arthur believed to be the boy who had spoken, "Ruffnut," he gestured to what Arthur hoped was a female version of the first, "and Snotlout," the male puffed up his chest and Arthur had to keep his face from breaking as he heard Gwaine and Percival start to laugh. "Tuff wanted to know if Merlin was dead," he said mechanically as if it was a normal conversation. "I told him no."

Sharing a look of bewilderment with Leon, he turned as another voice spoke up.

"How is your arm?" Elyan asked as he walked closer, keeping the dragon on Hiccup's other side.

"It wasn't a deep cut," Hiccup said, showing his bandaged arm. The black dragon eyed the bandage before whining. "I'm okay, bud," Hiccup said with a smile.

"You seem to have a close bond," Leon said, and Hiccup's head snapped up. He looked from the dragon to the Camelot party before seeming to come to a decision. He grinned before placing his hand upon the dragons head.

"This is my partner, Toothless," the dragon shook his head, flinging the hand off before looking up at Arthur and opening his mouth in what could only describe as a smile. There were no teeth.

"_Back up! We have been trying for two days to keep the existence of our dragons a mystery from you and instead you are standing here all calm? What in the name of Thor is going on?"_ Snotlout shouted into the room, shouldering himself between the dragon and his master, nearly causing Hiccup to fall to the floor.

"_Yeah! We want to know that too?"_

"_Why did you ask that like a question?"_

"_I didn't understand what he was asking. Did you?" _Tuffnut asked his sister who slapped the back of his head.

"What happened to him?" Stoick finally spoke up, dissolving the conversation as he and Gobber stepped into the circle that had formed. He motioned his hand towards Merlin and Gothi. The words were a little tricky to understand with his accent but Arthur got the main idea.

"We don't know," Arthur said while Fishlegs translated. Hiccup and Astrid shared a look of suspicion while Gobber and Stoick continued to stare with unwavering gazes. "Truthfully. Something about the arena was making him feel ill."

Arthur was glad for a sudden movement from behind preventing him from stupidly trying to explain magic.

Gothi pulled a vial from a pouch on her side. She waved behind her and Astrid pushed Hiccup forward. Rushing over, the Chief's son quickly waited for instructions. Gothi gestured to Merlin's head and after a moment of confusion, her writing on the ground with her staff, and hitting Gobber over the head, Hiccup finally gained the instructions required to lift Merlin's head up slightly. Gothi quickly poured the black liquid between his slightly parted lips and Arthur was glad he hadn't asked what it had been when Merlin suddenly sat up gagging for air. The gangly man soon regained his breathing and Hiccup seemed about to ask a question when a loud voice broke the silence.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Gwaine said, moving forward to slap Merlin on the back. The man gasped as the air left him yet again.

"Gwaine, stop mistreating my manservant," Arthur quipped.

"Not… manservant…anymore…" Merlin gasped out as he regained his breath for a second time.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, _Mer_lin." Arthur said, grinning in relief when Merlin shot him a dirty look.

"What… was that?" the warlock questioned, gagging again as Gothi put it under his nose as if to test if he was truly awake. He pushed her hand to the side, somewhat rudely, and she put the vial away. Suddenly, she grabbed his head with both of her hands. The secret warlock jerked back but seemed too weak to pull out of her grasp. Hiccup was still behind Merlin, helping to hold him up.

"_Gothi, what…"_ before Hiccup could continue, the woman opened her mouth and though her lips were moving, no sound was made. After a moment, her eyes flashed gold. The Vikings around him stared at Gothi in shock whereas Merlin's eyes grew wide in confusion. Merlin stiffened as he waited for any sign of danger and could hear by the shifting of material that the knights and Arthur were moving around him in protection. Still, nothing seemed to happen until he felt a presence in the back of his mind.

'**E…Em…**' The connection was weak and soft, '**You…Emrys…'** Eyes widening again, Merlin finally met the woman's gaze and her eyes crinkled in awe**. 'You are Emrys?'**

Merlin took a moment to realize that the language she was speaking was neither Norse nor English but she was speaking in a form of magic. The rough words, though somewhat different, easily made sense when they touched his mind. Blinking in shock, Merlin tentatively nodded, unable to draw up the energy anymore to respond verbally or mentally.

She gave a brief, breathy laugh, '**It has been so long since I have had the opportunity to speak.' **Merlin reacted with a raised eyebrow, ignoring everyone else in favor of the woman who still had a strong grip on his head. **"How do you feel?"** She asked instead. It took him a moment to make our her words. Compared to everyone else who had spoken to him in this way, her telepathy was very weak. She was like a ghost of a whisper behind his ear compared to Kilgarrah's roar or the Druid's soft and hard tones.

"**Much better"** he said after a moment before realizing it was true. He felt almost fine compared to earlier that day.

"**Good," **She nodded, **"I am Gothi, the village healer."**

"**But you are much more than that... This language…"**

"**This is a version of what your people call the language of the Old Religion."**

"**How…"**

"**I am not originally from Berk. My family was from a long line of magic users. Over the years, after the purge, the magic of this land has greatly diminished," **she paused. Merlin waited to see if she would continue and when she didn't he decided to hedge a guess.

"**I was surprised when I barely sensed the presence of magic here. Why have you retained yours?"**

"**Part of my family was from a much older branch of magic." **She smiled suddenly, "**as half of yours is…It unfortunately died out with the death of my father." **

"Merlin!" Gothi suddenly released Merlin's head as if she had been burned and the sudden disconnect left Merlin reeling. A second later and he opened his eyes to the ceiling with the knights standing above him.

"What the hell was that?" Arthur demanded but before he could respond the King suddenly shouted out in pain.

"_Gothi!" _Multiple voices shouted at once. Merlin picked his head up from the table to see Arthur rubbing his head and a very short, irritated Viking woman standing beside him with a raised staff. The other Vikings were standing around with various looks of astonishment and, in Stoick and Hiccups case, unease. Before Arthur could respond, Merlin quickly inserted his two cents.

"Defeated by a little old woman, huh, sire?" He grinned despite the murderous look that was sent his way. A shaking hand on his shoulder told him Gwaine was barely holding in his own laughter and that he would run with Merlin if the situation required it. Breathing through his teeth, Arthur quickly stepped aside.

"I repeat, what was that?" Arthur demanded a final time, prompting Merlin to quickly turn to Hiccup.

"Will you translate for me?"Merlin asked, forcing Hiccup to turn his eyes away from Gothi and the obviously angered King to meet Merlin's gaze. A simple nod was all Merlin needed before he jumped into an explanation. "Gothi was speaking to me telepathically."

"You mean like how the Druids speak to you?" Arthur asked, his anger already abating. Merlin would have to thank Gwen when he returned for her work on Arthur's anger management.

"Yes"

"Gothi was speaking to you?" Fishlegs asked at almost the same time in excitement before blushing as every set of eyes landed on him. "It's just," he started twiddling his thumbs, "she has never spoken to any of us."

"She has. You just don't know how to listen," Merlin said in all seriousness, a brilliant smile forming on Gothi's face as Hiccup translated. "She speaks a language you aren't able to understand."

"**Thank you Emrys, but you need not explain for me." **The intrusion was more subtle this time. Merlin was about to respond when an outside voice made way into his ear.

"_Wait, wait, wait!"_ Snotlout suddenly shouted. "_The old hag has been able to talk this entire time?" _He suddenly yelped in pain as a long wooden staff sailed through the air. Merlin watched Gothi for a moment as she continued to threaten the young Viking.

"You can understand Norse, why do you not speak out loud?" Merlin couldn't help but ask. As Hiccup finished translating, the staff suddenly halted in midair. Gothi turned towards him with a thoughtful expression as the poor Viking hid behind a pair of twins.

"**As I said, I came from an old family, Emrys. When the great purge began, my family was hunted. Though I could not gain my father's abilities, I still had his blood."** Merlin felt his blood run cold.

"**Your father was a Dragonlord?" **Merlin could barely get the thought formed. Her sad smile was answer enough.

"**Before our village was attacked, my father and his dragon performed a spell. It prevents me from ever speaking without the aid of magic. I was then sent here, to Berk, for protection."**

"**Why here?"**

"**No one would look for me in a village, at the time, sworn to kill dragons." **Merlin nodded his head in understanding. He was sent to the capital of the purge for a similar reason after all. "**You can tell them what you wish, Emrys." **Looking up from Gothi, Merlin realized they had been in a telepathic conversation for some time as everyone had seated themselves and were staring in their general direction. Embarrassed, Merlin helped Gothi to a seat before taking his own besides Arthur.

"She says a spell was used on her that prevents her from speaking out loud."

"Spell?" Hiccup asks in the middle of translating, forcing Fishlegs to finish for the rest of the audience.

"_Magic you say; can't say I've heard any reference to it on Berk in some years." _Stoick said, his hand tugging on his beard. "_Gothi, you have magic?" _The woman looked up at her Chief for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

"**I have not used it in years," **She said slowly, as if testing waters. It took Merlin a second to realize she was speaking telepathically instead of writing. He looked at her in confusion before he realized she was nervously looking in his direction. Turning his head to look at Arthur who sat to his right, he couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face as he shook his head.

"It's okay. He knows," he said and grinned wider as Arthur gave him a look as he realized they were discussing him. He watched as Gothi's eyes widened before suddenly jumping from her seat and rushing to stand next to the King of Camelot.

"**The Once and Future King has finally risen," **She said, looking first at Merlin before bowing her head towards Arthur. Arthur blinked in absolute shock before turning to Merlin for help.

"She says thank you, Once and Future" he said before winking. He held in his laughter as he watched Arthur blush and look away from the beaming woman. After forcing Merlin to reveal the truth behind his other name, Arthur had become nervous whenever his supposed destiny was brought up. Merlin thought it sad that his friend did not believe himself worthy of such a title.

"No need to bow," Arthur coughed slightly as he schooled himself again. "Camelot does not persecute those with magic anymore. We were actually about to start repealing the ban on magic before we began our trip here," Arthur explained to Gothi, Gobber, and Stoick.

"What does magic have to do with Berk?" Hiccup asked before seeing the shadowed face on both his father's face and Gobbers. "_Dad?_"

"_Quite a few people had magic on Berk before and after you were born." _His father paused and looked away.

"_Like who?" _Hiccup asked slowly, more afraid of the answer as his father slowly became tenser in his seat.

"_Now may be the best time to tell him, Stoick_" Gobber said and Stoick took one deep breath.

"_You're mother had some basic magical training," _Stoick said, his voice low and quiet in the large and echoing hall. "_She was never good at the physical magic. She was an empath. She was good at knowing the true nature of a person. When the purge began…" _Stoick paused to look at Arthur. Arthur looked away for a moment before returning his gaze and nodding his head. Stoick's gaze softened slightly at the acceptance he saw in the young monarch's eyes. "_We hid her magic as best we could and she started to lose what little ability she had. Uther sent his men to help us remove any magic users and everyone on Berk that had magic was either sent to an allied tribe for safety or killed." _Stoick turned to face Snotlout, "_Hedgelout, for example,"_ Snotlout blinked in shock for a moment as the words worked through his mind.

"_Hedgelout? The Jorgenson who went missing at sea years ago?"_ Astrid asked when Snotlout seemed unable too.

"_Wasn't lost to the sea, lass." _

"_Why were we never told about any of this?" _Hiccup demanded as Fishlegs slowly translated for Arthur and the knights. His features grew angrier as Stoick appeared to be unable to look in his direction.

"_Most of it happened long before any of you were born..." _Gobber paused.

"_Our war with the dragons also kept us from saying anything," _Stoick finished. Merlin and Arthur quickly shared a look.

"_We haven't been at war with them for almost five years…" Hiccup said. _He was looking down at the ground. The black dragon, which had been lying under a nearby table, came rushing out at the sound of his Master's hard voice. Merlin blinked as the dragon came into view but before he could say anything, Stoick continued.

"_I understand that, son. But we had to be careful around…"_

"_Careful around who?"_ he finally exploded. His head snapped up to glare profusely at his father_._ The black dragon whined from Hiccup's side.

"_I believe your father is referring to us," _Merlin decided it was time to step in

"I believe he is referring to me." Arthur said at almost the same time. Hiccup's anger seemed to slowly vanish as he turned to face the Camelot party. As the focus switched to Merlin and Arthur, Merlin quickly looked at Arthur before nodding. Arthur smiled briefly, perhaps in thanks for not trying to stand up for him, before turning back to the Vikings. The other teens were also angry, if their facial expressions were any indication. As Arthur stared at the Chief's son, he felt a swell of pride. While the other teens glowered and sneered in their direction, Hiccup had a blank face. Only his eyes were demanding an explanation. Arthur slowly stood from his seat, bracing his palms upon the hard wooden surface.

"I would first like to apologize for the actions of my father. His choices and decisions were not right. I am trying to rectify that." He said first to Stoick before turning back to Hiccup. "My father believed that all Magic was evil and needed to be eradicated. The dragons are magical creatures and fell to his hands. As an ally of Camelot, Berk fell under his ideals. I hope to restart this friendship between our people and start anew. I'm sure you can tell, we are not here to kill the dragons of Berk."

"Then why are you here?" Hiccup asked. Arthur watched as Stoick smiled proudly from across the table at his son.

"We have already mentioned part of the reason to your father," Arthur continued and made note of how Stoick's smile quickly vanished into a frown. "Our kingdom is about to face war and we came asking for aid."

"Technically, we came looking for dragons," Gwaine said suddenly into the silence, garnering a glare from every member of the Camelot party and a tensed atmosphere from the Vikings.

"Gwaine," Sir Leon narrowed his eyes at the man who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"What? The princess was already planning to tell them. I figured being blunt would be easier," he said as Arthur sighed in exasperation.

"_You want our dragons?" _Astrid demanded. Fishlegs struggling to keep up with the translating.

"We wanted the help of the dragons. We had no idea that you had come to peace with them," Arthur said in all seriousness.

"_Is this because of the white dragon that the witch controls?" _Stoick asked suddenly. Whether he noticed Arthur and Merlin's flinch at Morgana's title, he didn't let on.

"Yes. We are outnumbered and even believe that she is gaining aid from the Saxons as I have already explained. We already lost many good men in the last fight against her and do not have time to train more men."

"_How do you plan to combat the witch's magic? And how did you plan to use the dragons?" _Stoick asked. As Fishlegs finished translating, Arthur sat back down and gestured towards Merlin. Bracing himself, Merlin sat forward.

"_Have you ever heard of Emrys?"_ Merlin asked quietly, watching asStoick's eyes widened.

"_Our people once revered that name when Magic users lived here." _Merlin ignored the looks the knights were sending his way as he forced the next words from his mouth.

"_That is the name that the druids call me,"_ Merlin said slowly, his eyes cast down to the tables surface.

"_It would seem Magic has finally returned to Berk," _Stoick said as he leaned back in his wooden chair. Merlin thought the way he said 'magic' had been unusual but pushed it aside. "_Now, how did you plan to use the dragons?"_ Merlin waited a moment to see if Arthur would speak. The glance Arthur sent him proved that Arthur was leaving all the revealing to him. Though he felt happy that Arthur was leaving it to him, he was still uncomfortable whenever he had to give up a secret.

"_Based on your knowledge of magic and Camelot," _Merlin began, "_I assume you know about the Dragonlords as well."_

"_Yet another word I have not heard in decades…"_

"_Dragonlord?" _Fishlegs asked, nearly cutting Stoick off.

"_Oh. I like the sound of that. I will now be Dragonlord tuffnut. Has a nice ring to it."_ As Ruff and Tuff began to argue of the name, Stoick took over.

"_The Dragonlords were magic users who had the ability to tame and control dragons. They gained these abilities because of they held a deep connection with dragon kind."_

"_If these people exist, then why were we at war with the dragons?" _Hiccup asked.

"The Great Purge was my father's attempt to rid the world of magic. Dragonlords were often very powerful magic users. They were destroyed," Arthur's voice slowly descended into one of solemnity and sadness. Merlin placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder. He felt the man's muscles tighten before finally loosening.

"_I take it, you are one of these Dragonlords?" _Stoick suddenly asked, though Merlin detected only curiosity in his tone. Merlin looked into Stoick's gaze and gave one sharp nod.

"_The ability is passed from father to son at the death of the father. I gained my father's abilities a few years ago."_

"_My condolences to your loss then. It is also an honor to be in the presence of a Dragonlord. However, Dragonlords have attempted to control the dragons of the North but have never gained the control that they had with the Great Dragons."_

"_Why are the dragons here so different?" _Merlin questioned, before shooting his gaze over towards Gothi as a sudden presence in his mind returned.

"_**It is believed that the dragons had separated with the ocean over time and those who came North merged with Wyverns." **_The voice answered in his head. After a moment of silence, Merlin repeated the words out loud for everyone else. Silence reined for a number of minutes as the Vikings contemplated all they had heard.

"_Perhaps you can give them a hand…" _Gobber suddenly said to Hiccup. _"We do have the Team A to protect Berk…" He continued when Hiccup seemed about to argue._

"_Who is going to protect the edge?" _Fishlegs asked. "We created an outpost north of here," he said in quick explanation to the other party.

"_We have already been away for five days," _Astrid said.

"_We haven't seen hair or hide of Dagur or the dragon hunters in weeks…" _Hiccup said after a moment, gaining a nod from Stoick.

"_What if we trained up a few more dragon riders?" _Stoick said, a sudden glint in his eyes.

"_Taming new dragons in the arena is nearly impossible…_" Gobber said as he slowly shook his head and brought his arms out to fold upon the table.

"_They are not tamed,"_ Merlin said, surprised by the anger in his own voice.

"_No they are not. They are bonded with,"_ Hiccup said, however, his statement ended in a partial question that Merlin gave a smile in response to. Though the other dragon riders gave Hiccup a strange look, Fishlegs was translating for Arthur and the knights as quickly as he was able too.

"_You can feel it then? The connection with them…_" Merlin said.

"_What connection?"_ Snotlout asked.

"_We can't actually speak with each other," _Hiccup said, looking to the side of the room where Toothless had gone to lie down again. "_But we understand each other. He's like a brother"_ Merlin couldn't stop the grin from forming as he heard this.

"If we could finish training up a few more riders, then we could probably give you our help," Hiccup said, only to shout in pain and hold his injured arm when Stoick gave him a good natured slap.

"_Well said, my boy!"_

"_Was that from our fight?"_ All eyes zeroed in on Merlin whose eyes were locked on the make shift bandage on Hiccup's arm.

"It was an accident," Hiccup waved away the concern, though he couldn't hide the wince as he moved.

"I could heal it for you?" Arthur felt his Advisers gaze but instead turned slightly. If Merlin felt comfortable revealing his magic fully, then Arthur would allow him to choose.

"Heal?" The uneasy tone in Hiccup's voice was overshadowed by his curious look. Merlin held his hand out and waited patiently for Hiccup to decide. After a moment, Hiccup put his arm out on the table. Merlin lightly placed his hand over the bandage. Before he could do anything else though, he suddenly heard a loud crash as a huge impact hit him in the side. The chair under him was splintered and as he looked up, realizing the crash had been him hitting the floor, he saw a massive black head with glaring green eyes.

"_Toothless!"_ As he watched, the large mouth opened, but before a command could even touch his own lips, two sets of arms wrapped around the dragons head and pulled it back. Sitting up slightly, he saw Astrid and Hiccup pulling Toothless back. "_Toothless! Stop!"_ The dragon suddenly stilled in Hiccup's arms. As Hiccup and Astrid pulled away, the dragon seemed to slump to the ground before rounding on his master with a glare. As Merlin stood up with Arthur's help, he noticed that the dragon, though angered, was still positioned with its body as if to block Hiccup.

"He is protecting you," he said and Hiccup stopped glaring at Toothless to meet Merlin's gaze. "He sees me as the threat that originally hurt you," he walked around Arthur to stand in front of Hiccup, Astrid, and the black dragon. The dragon began to growl as he approached but made no other movement. Merlin kneeled down slowly, putting his hand out as he did.

"I promise I didn't mean to hurt him. It was an accident," as he looked into the green eyes, he searched for a connection. As Merlin found the dragon's inner magic, he touched it with his own. However, before he tried to connect the two, he felt a second presence from within the dragon. Confused, Merlin felt along its magic and nearly laughed out loud as he took his magic away and looked up towards Hiccup. The green eyes suddenly blinked, the head tilting slightly. "You have a strong connection," Merlin said simply before startling as a smooth snout suddenly brushed into the palm of his hand. Slowly rubbing the head, "thank you for understanding," he said before standing up and moving around Toothless. Holding out his hand again, he waited for Hiccup to bring up his arm. Placing his hand over the makeshift bandage again.

"_**Purhhaele dolgbenn" **_he felt the heat form behind his eyes and watched as Hiccup's eyes widened. Pulling his hand back, Hiccup pulled back his own and slowly unwrapped the bandage. Flexing his arms, he showed the uninjured flesh to Astrid and Fishlegs who both sat back in their seats in shock. Toothless jumped around Merlin, sniffed the arm, and then opened his mouth in his customary toothless smile.

"_Cool! I want to do that. But maybe do it the other way around." _Tuffnut suddenly said, scratching his chin in thought.

"What would you need in order to fix the arena?" Arthur suddenly asked, directing his gaze to Hiccup.

"The dragons don't want to go inside. When they are inside they change."

"Change how?" Leon asked.

"Almost as if they go wild. Feral." Hiccup explained.

"Has there ever been any strange occurrences you couldn't explain?" Merlin suddenly asked, Stoick blinking at the sudden change in topic.

"_Quite a few actually_," Stoick leaned back in his chair. "_Wells drying up, crops suddenly dying, we also had a massive illness strike us during the past summer…"_

"_We blamed it on the twins," _Gobber jerked his hand towards Ruff and Tuff who were merely nodding their head in agreement.

"I'm not an expert, but the arena reminds me of a place I've visited before. There are shrines near Camelot where magical groups were slaughtered. The land was covered in blood and death, and because of the brutality of their deaths, their spirits remained. Dragons are creatures of the old religion. I think… I think that the arena is tainted with dark magic from all the dragons that were killed there." Merlin's explanation was met with silence. Stoick, Gobber, Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs sat in stunned silence.

"_Gothi?" _The healer turned to her Chief. Her nod was not necessary as her facial expression was all the confirmation they needed.

"_You are magical yourself, Emrys, is that why you collapsed?" _Stoick questioned.

"Please call me Merlin," he said quickly, waiting for a nod of acceptance from Stoick before continuing. "The arena was making me feel ill, yes. I feel a great pressure surrounding me when I enter the gate"

"I've felt that way before," Hiccup said suddenly, leaning forward in his chair.

"What?" Fishlegs and Astrid asked at nearly the same time.

"Every time I enter the arena after not being there for awhile, I get this feeling that crawls up my arms. I usually just push it aside though," Hiccup said with a shrug as Astrid's eyes bore holes into the side of his head.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, as his Court Advisor watched the Chief's son.

"What can be done?" Stoick finally asked. Merlin eyed the occupants of the room for a moment. He had been contemplating options since their first trek into the arena.

"I might be able to purify the land, like the druids did at the shrines." Merlin said suddenly, stopping all further conversation.

"You can do that?" Elyan exclaims, awe shining in his eyes, along with a bit of fear at the mention of that traumatic experience.

"Well…"

"You don't actually know, do you?" Arthur deadpans.

"I've never even considered it before. I'm not really even sure how they did it" He said in irritation and a bit of embarrassment that he didn't think before he spoke. Suddenly realizing something, he grinned. The grin grew as he noticed how his expression only made Arthur more uncomfortable; "but I know someone who may know."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey all you dragon riders/warlocks/witches! So graduating from college happened (woo!). I started a job where I lead a crew in a research project so my time has been consumed with that. Due to my job, I know this chapter is long overdue but I do have good news: Chapter 8 is already done too! So the next update will be on time, two weeks from now! I promised this story would be completed and I shall hold to that! Its nearing its end, and has certainly changed from what I first expected. I did not realize that Dragons: Race to the Edge season 3 was going to be out so soon so I may go back through this story and change a few things based on the third season but for now, I won't be using it within this story so just keep that in mind. Let me know if you see any massive errors or plot issues. I have tried to stay consistent but due to my current job, I have very little free time each day and so probably didn't back track through my previous chapters as well as I should have before posting this. I hope you all enjoy it though! This was certainly a fun chapter to write! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin or How to Train Your Dragon. **

Key to Format

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse_"

'_Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback_

"**Dragon"**

"_**Magic"**_

* * *

"**O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" **The roar projected far and wide from the open cliff on which Merlin stood. The large group at his back stood gaping at the sheer power they felt in his voice and words. Though they did not understand, they felt the power emanating from the magical warlock. As he finished his call, he turned slowly and immediately flushed at the looks he was getting.

"No matter how many times I hear you do that, Mate," Gwaine said, then stopped and whistled in lieu of continuing his thought.

"_How long will it take for the Great Dragon to arrive?" _Stoick asked. Merlin watched as Hiccup gave his father a confused look. The look was in part because Stoick had asked his question hesitantly and with his eyes trained on the sky.

"_The Great Dragon does not wish vengeance on those who killed his kin,"_ Merlin quickly said and saw the relief wash across the bigger man's face. Hiccup blinked before realization dawned. "_He should arrive in an hour,"_ Merlin continued.

"The Great Dragon should…arrive in an hour?_" _Hiccup who was translating for Arthur and the Knights, paused halfway through, looking towards Merlin with a questioning look. Merlin didn't need to look at Arthur or the Knights to know they were giving him a similar look.

"How could he be here in an hour when he is stationed outside Camelot's southern borders?" Arthur asked slowly.

"I…uh… May have called him…" Arthur's face was growing more and more alarmed as Merlin spoke, "half way into our voyage across the sea."

"He was supposed to act as a lookout for any approaching armies," Arthur glared, clearly angry that the well thought out plan had been undermined without his knowledge.

"When I felt the presence of dragons here, but couldn't communicate with them, I knew I was going to need his help," Merlin defended, crossing his arms. "Besides, I asked Iseldir to send word to Mordred if any enemies were spotted," Arthur blinked before seeming to contemplate the idea. He took a breath before nodding and clapping Merlin on the shoulder.

"Good thinking." Merlin smiled before grinning at Gwaine who stood over Arthur's shoulder.

"See, Princess? No need to worry."

"You knew about this, didn't you." Arthur said with a barely contained sigh.

"But of course. Who do you think told Merlin not to tell you?"

"Why didn't you see fit to tell me?

"We didn't want to worry you," Gwaine said with a hand wave of clear dismissal.

"I'm your King, Sir Gwaine."

"Ah but you will always be the princess in my eyes," he said with a brilliant flourish of his arm followed by a bow. Arthur's eye started to twitch and Leon quickly moved forward in front of Gwaine.

"What's done is done." Leon informed, eyeing Gwaine quickly before waiting for Arthur to speak. Shaking his head slowly, Arthur let the matter go. The rag tag group of Vikings, Knights, and Warlock stood or sat around the area as time passed. Gwaine was regaling the Vikings with another one of his barmaid stories, Hiccup trying not to turn red as he translated the man's words.

"And then she moved towards the bed and…"

"He's here," the conversation abruptly ended, Hiccup sighing quickly in relief. Everyone turned towards the cliff at their side to see Merlin standing a few feet a head of them.

"How do you know?" Hiccup asked, his excitement clear in his voice.

"I spoke with him," he pointed to the side of his head, grinning as he watched Hiccup's face light up. Fishlegs had dashed to his other side, his eyes darting across the sky and his hands wringing in anticipation. The larger man's face then went white and Merlin had to catch his arm as he stumbled back when a roar filled the sky. From the grey clouds above, a dark shape began to form. Slowly, two golden, massive legs came down from the cloud cover. As the rest of the body followed, Merlin watched as Hiccup and Fishlegs both took an unconscious step back. Kilgharrah was in full view as he circled the area once before touching down in front of the party. His long tail draped over the cliffs edge as his head lowered slightly to take in the group. Before anyone could speak, the massive golden head looked at the three standing closest to it and Merlin watched as the head bent down in a bow. Stepping forward, Merlin bowed at his waist before turning to face the group.

"I would like to introduce you to Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon." Merlin said before turning back. "Thank you for coming."

"For the love of Thor…" He heard Fishlegs mumble.

"I could never say no to you, Young Warlock," The rough, yet powerful voice flew across the wind as each Viking's fought to keep their jaws shut.

"Ah, Stoick the Vast. It has been a long time, indeed," Kilgharrah's head tilted in greeting. Silence permeated the area for a second before Hiccup finally snapped out of it and quickly translated for his group. Stoick finally moved forward and tilted his own head in greeting.

"_It is a pleasure to see you on Berk's land yet again."_

Merlin felt the sudden shift in energy before he saw it. Before he could yell watch out, Hiccup had been shoved to the ground as Toothless made a mad dash to get to the massive creature. Toothless then came to a grinding halt about two feet from Kilgharrah's massive claws. Tilting his head, he looked straight up as Kilgharrah brought his own head down slightly.

"Young Night Fury, how long it has been since I have seen any of your kind." Toothless snorted before somehow jumping into the air and head butting the massive black snout of Kilgharrah. Kilgharrah brought his head up sharply and gave the beaming dragon a stern look. "You still have much growing, hatchling," he said.

"Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, standing back up with Merlin's help. Toothless's ears seemed to go down as he looked back towards Hiccup. Looking back up towards Kilgharrah, everyone watched dumbfounded as Toothless sat back and bent his upper body down in a bow. The Great Dragon seemed to chuckle before nodding his own head in greeting to his kin. Merlin felt the shift in the air and it took him only a moment to realize that the two dragons had connected their magic with each other. He only had a moment more to wonder what the two dragons were sharing with each other when he felt the connection break and Toothless straightened his posture.

"Now, why have you called me here?" Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure you can already feel it. The land here needs to be healed." Kilgharrah blew hot breath from his nostrils as he brought his legs forward and placed them before him, laying down on the cliffs edge so his head was more eye level with the Dragonlord.

"Of course I can. I would like to know what you expect me to do about it," he said in near annoyance and Merlin could feel his other eyebrow go up.

"I would like to know what we can do."

"The taint in the air; they are creatures of the old religion," Kilgharrah seemed to roll his eyes at something behind Merlin's back. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't help but smirk at the confused looks both the Vikings and Knights seemed to share. "They are creatures of the Earth so, unlike humans, their spirits would not linger on this plane. Their magic, on the other hand, would. As of now, the magic that once formed them has been polluted and, within that pollution, the magic has become a sentient of its own."

"It was dragons that were killed here. Could you not do something to help?" Merlin asked only to deflate as the large head shook from side to side.

"While it may have been my kin that were killed here, I have no power over the energy that remains. In order to purify the land, you have to purify the magic itself."

"How do I do that?"

"It shall not be easy." Merlin rolled his eyes but held back his retort of 'it never is.' Kilgarrah rarely appreciated his sarcasm and now wasn't the time. "The magic wishes to return to the earth but the earth will not accept it in its current form. The magic is being drawn to you because it senses your light and wishes to corrupt yours as well. You will have to allow the magic to come to you and then purify it within yourself." Grimacing at the prospect of allowing the magic in the air near him, let alone into his body, he waited for Kilgarrah to continue. "I will provide you with the spell you will need, young Warlock." Merlin thanked the triple g-ddess that Kilgharrah could provide him with some help after all.

"Will you provide us with aid if we do you this service?" Arthur's leader voice was coming through from behind and Merlin turned abruptly to see the King facing Stoick. Fishlegs had quickly translated for his chief's benefit. Stoick looked towards Hiccup and gestured for his son to speak instead.

"We owe you one," Hiccup said walking up to Arthur who grinned as the young Viking held out his arm. Arthur reached out and grasped the man's forearm before releasing and pounding him on the back, nearly knocking the breath out of him. "So, what do we need to do?" Kilgharrah raised himself from the ground to stand tall again. Dropping his large neck down slightly, he looked back to Merlin.

"Step forward," Merlin stepped away from the group to stand before the massive dragon. As he opened his mouth, he felt more than saw the Knights and Arthur tense up. As the golden breathe washed over him, the words of the spell ran through his mind. As the magic dissipated, Merlin turned in the disappearing golden light.

"Shall we?"

* * *

Leaving Kilgharrah on the cliff, the group hurried towards the arena. Though many town members stopped their chief in hopes of getting an answer, Stoick quickly directed them back to their homes. The village was quiet after that.

Hiccup and the rest of the group were standing around the wooden platform that surrounded the metal dome. Looking towards the entrance, he was barely able to make out Arthur and Merlin's figures in the shadowed space. Merlin seemed to take a deep breath while Arthur stood with a hand on the other man's shoulder. The two men stood there for a moment before the King seemed to give a light push forward. Merlin slowly walked towards the center, Arthur standing at the ready behind the entrance. Stopping in the middle of the arena, Merlin stood tensed for a moment before bringing one arm out in front of him. The air was still and, though he was a distance away, his voice began to build as he spoke until he was speaking the last words in a near shout.

"…_**Edhwierft **__**oþ þæs**__**brytengrúnd!" **_The hand held out in front of him began to glow with a bright, golden light as his words came to an end. Though the light was contained to the area around the magic user's hand, Hiccup thought he could feel the energy in the air. The light suddenly shrunk, barely covering Merlin's hand as his other arm came up to grasp his wrist as if to hold it in place. After a moment, the light returned to engulfing his hand.

"_Now what?"_ Snotlout asked. Though his tone seemed bored as he leaned through the bars of the dome, his tensed posture spoke otherwise.

"_We wait and watch,"_ Stoick said, a grim touch to his voice.

A sudden flash came from the man standing within the arena. As everyone covered their eyes, their sense of sight overwhelmed, Hiccup swore his hearing heightened in that one moment. A roar, seemingly from far away, reached his ears. The light from Merlin's hand was still visible behind his eyelids. He couldn't explain why, but the roar did not fill him with pride or strength as a dragon roar typically did. The roar sent a chill up his spine. It took him a moment for him to understand why as the feelings of despair and anger filled his body; and a moment longer for him to realize the emotions were not actually his own. Gripping his head, he listened as words he never understood before ran through his mind at break neck speed.

'_**Death**_'

'_**Pain!**_'

_'Kill them! Kill every last one of them!'_

_**"My brothers!"**_

_** "**__Don't let that one escape!"_

"Hiccup!" The shout shoved him from the darkness that he hadn't realized he had been falling into. Looking up, he looked around to see his father standing in front of him.

"_Why are you suddenly so tall?"_ the words felt sluggish as they fell from his mouth and he took a steadying breath.

"_That's because you are on the floor, son,"_ his father's voice, though seemingly normal, shook slightly as the man knelt.

"_What…?"_

"_You suddenly fell, Hiccup,"_ turning his head, Astrid sat to his right, his hand held in a tight grip in both of her hands. Taking a moment to breath, he realized her hands were shaking as they held his. Pushing himself up onto his knees, he took both of her hands and brought them to his lips.

"_Sorry for scaring you,"_ he whispered, ignoring the Vikings and Knights standing around them in a circle. She gave a small smile before taking her hand back and punching him in the shoulder before standing and holding out her hand. Grasping it with a weak laugh, he stood before turning back to the stadium. As he did, his eyes widened in shock.

"_What's going on?"_

"_When the light faded, those were flying around,"_ Fishlegs answered. Looking into the stadium, Merlin still stood in the center with his hand held out. However, the stadium was now alive. Spectral shapes flew around the arena at staggering speeds. As they passed close to Merlin, the black mass seemed to solidify for a small moment into the shape of a dragon before returning to a shapeless mass as it left the range of the light. A sudden scraping sound had everyone turning to face Gothi as her staff wrote out on the dusty stone surface.

"_She says that the dark magic is being called by his power to reveal its true form."_

"_So they really are the dragons that we killed here…"_ Astrid said, her voice quiet and more anguished than she had sounded when her house was destroyed by Dagur. Grabbing her hand again, Hiccup turned to Astrid.

"_Remember what Kilgharrah said, they may resemble dragons, but it's only the magic within them that remains. Not their spirits."_ He turned to Gothi, hoping she could confirm his words, who gave a sharp nod of her head. After another moment, Hiccup voiced another thought that was bothering him.

"_Why can we hear them speak?"_ The silence that pervaded the space was chocking as Hiccup looked around.

"…_What do you mean… hear them?"_ Fishlegs asked slowly.

"_You can't hear them?"_ Every head shook slowly as concern filled most faces. Gothi moved closer and stared up into Hiccup's face. _"When I fell, I heard voices. A few of them were dragon roars but… I could understand them and the other voices were Vikings."_ The faces looked alarmed and Hiccup watched as Elyan took a step back unconsciously.

"_Why didn't you hear it…?"_ He said before turning back to Gothi. She stared for a moment before writing again.

"_Magic is a powerful entity. When the earth is damaged through a powerful event, sometimes the earth remembers. Some people can access those memories." _Gobber translated.

"_Are you saying Hiccup is seeing past events?"_ Fishlegs asked, his head tilted to the side.

"_The magic in the arena is extremely powerful right now. It's possible that he has somehow made a connection and is hearing those who had already passed"_ Gobber again translated. Everyone stared at Gothi for a moment who, after another moment, only shrugged further in reply.

"MERLIN!" A sudden shout from the King brought every head and body to the metal dome. The spectral masses had previously been avoiding Merlin's physical presence. Though they flew around him, they had been keeping a 10 foot clearance and radias. The spectral shadows had also been flying in almost a pattern, each moving the same way around the arena. As they watched, the light around Merlin's hand suddenly began to pulse, growing weaker and then strengthening again only a moment later. As this change in the light occurred, one of the bigger spectral dragons changed direction. Flying around, it suddenly banked and began to fly straight at Merlin. Despite Arthur's sudden shout, Merlin kept his head bent and his eyes closed. Seconds before the shadow would have rammed into him, Merlin's head snapped up and his eyes opened, flashing a bright gold. The light in his hand vanished before suddenly flaring as the spectral shadow flew into it. Vanishing into the light, Merlin's body seemed to bend over as if he had been hit. Straightening after a moment, his body returned to its previous position: body straight, head bent, and eyes closed as the light returned to its normal form around his hand.

"Amazing…" Gwaine said, as the process repeated eight more times over the course of the next two hours. As each spectral shadow flew into Merlin's hand, Hiccup stared at the edges of the arena. The arena itself seemed to lose some of its shadows.

At the end of the two hours, only one shadow remained flying around the arena. Hiccup, Astrid, Leon, and Stoick were the only ones still standing at the side of the arena as the others had moved to sit in the stands. Staring at the specter, Hiccup felt a sudden hint of familiarity and before he knew it, his hand was hovering over the bars of the dome. Merlin was barely standing, his legs clearly shaking and his forehead soaked in sweat. Arthur was leaning against the arena entrance, his eyes hard and his body tensed. As Hiccup's hand reached the bars of the dome, the specter suddenly shifted direction. Before Hiccup knew it, a disfigured snout was inches from his hand. Gasping in shock, Hiccup held his ground as the others shifted around him.

"_What is it doing?"_ Fishlegs asked nervously from behind. Looking into the barely formed shape, Hiccup looked for the spot where the eyes would have been had the shape been more clearly defined. As he did, he felt a sudden spike in his head again. The feelings of death and anger nearly staggered him but as his eyes met large green eyes in the face of the Monstrous Nightmare, he merely nodded his head.

"_We are sorry…"_ he said slowly, dropping his hand to his side. The anger spiked again. _"I know. It was wrong. We all know that now. We are working to fix our mistakes."_ The shadowy eyes blinked. "_Your power can now return to the earth_," the words felt strange as they fell from his lips but he knew they were correct. Suddenly the shape turned and flew towards Merlin before disappearing. As he watched, he realized that Merlin was no longer looking at the arena, but his golden eyes were focused on Hiccup. The sense of familiarity then vanished as Merlin's eyes closed yet again. As he stood in the center of the arena, the shadowy specters now all gone, his body tensed up before suddenly falling to the ground as the light around his hand faded.

* * *

"That was well done, Young Warlock," the great booming voice over head made Merlin cringe as he groggily opened his eyes. Blinking into the dying light of the setting sun, he looked up to see two large golden legs on either side of him as a great golden head hovered up above.

"Gee…. Th..thanks…" he said shivering as he slowly sat up, using the inner side of Kilgharrah's right leg to brace against. The feeling of emptiness assaulted him, reminding him of when he had first met the Cailleach.

"W..where is everyone?" he said, his cold lips not wanting to work correctly.

"They brought you here about an hour ago. The young Pendragon and his Knights were quite concerned when you would not awaken. I told them to leave you here for the time being." Merlin wondered what Kilgharrah had told the group to convince them to leave. Knowing Arthur and the Knights, they wouldn't have just left him unconscious by himself with only the Dragon as company.

Before he could say anything else, warmth started to enter his body. Looking up into the magical energy that Kilgharrah was breathing onto him, his body slowly went lax. Leaning against the Kilgharrah's massive right leg, Merlin sighed in relief as magic surged through his body. "Thank you, Kilgharrah."

"But of course, Merlin."

"Is the arena healed?"

"Why don't you check yourself?" There was a hint of humor in Kilgharrah's tone and Merlin shook his head before reaching inwardly for his magic. The emptiness within suddenly vanished as he found his magic hidden deep within. Surging up through his body, he felt his eyes flash gold before settling. Breathing deeply, he immediately sent out his senses. His magical eyes swept from the cliff through the village. As it moved down pass the Meade hall entrance, he saw a brief glimpse of Arthur and the Knights entering the room before he continued on. Moving across the bridge to the stadium's entrance, his vision filled with the inner arena. He came back to himself almost immediately as a sense of peace and rebirth reached his mind.

"When I was standing in the arena," Merlin began after about twenty minutes of companionable silence, "I felt a familiar presence while I was channeling the spell," Merlin stopped, waiting to see if Kilgharrah would respond. After about two minutes of waiting, Merlin grunted and sat up to turn his head to the Great Dragon who was steadily watching his Dragonlord.

"A familiar presence you say?"

"Yes. It felt like a dragonlord," looking up, he watched as Kilgharrah did, what in dragonkind, would be equivalent to the raising of an eyebrow.

"A dragonlord… perhaps it was the dragonlady?"

"Dragonlady? Are you referring to Gothi?" He shook his head after a moment, "No, I remember feeling her presence during the entire ritual. Besides, her connection isn't as strong. This other presence only appeared near the end," looking up again, Merlin watched as Kilgharrah's gaze went far away for a single moment before refocusing.

"The times before the Great Purge, there were many great families associated with the dragons. A dragonlord chooses to pass on his heritage to his son. Should they choose not to," Kilgharrah seemed to pause before continuing with a more solemn tone, "or simply forget, that ability is not gained."

"Are you saying someone else here on Berk was once a dragonlord?"

" Though the ability is not passed, that does not mean that the heritage dies."

"What does that mean?"

"We are who we are, Young Warlock. While our minds may wander, our blood never forgets." Merlin felt the headache returning as he attempted to figure out the Dragon's cryptic words. Sudden movement caught his ears as he looked up from his spot on the ground. Hiccup was making his way over from the tree line. Looking up towards the Great Dragon, Hiccup quickly ducked his head.

"Greetings to you, young rider," Kilgharrah said with a tilt of his own head.

"How are you feeling, Merlin?" Hiccup said, as Merlin slowly stood up, now reenergized after Kilgharrah's magic fed his own.

"Like I just spent the night in the tavern with Gwaine," he grinned as Hiccup smirked.

"That bad huh?"

"He should be fine come morning," the Great Dragon said. As Merlin and Hiccup turned to face the larger creature, they watched in amusement as Toothless tried to sneak around the side. As Toothless seemed about to attempt to jump onto the massive dragons back, one large wing came shooting out, nearly slapping the black dragon in the snout. Wrinkling his nose, the black dragon glared up at his larger kin.

"I know not what you are attempting, young fledgling," Toothless seemed to growl at the Great Dragon. "Compared to me, you will always be a fledgling," Kilgharrah responded to an unheard statement.

"How is Arthur?" Merlin turned back to Hiccup.

"He is speaking with my father and Sir Leon about the plans for our return with you to Camelot."

"You will help us?" Merlin asked, his eyes widening slightly as Hiccup smiled good naturedly back.

"Of course. You helped us; now it's our turn to do the same," Hiccup said with determination. The man seemed to pause before coming to a sudden decision. "I do have a question and a request," Hiccup said in the dragon's direction as the seemingly one sided argument between Toothless and Kilgharrah came to an abrupt end. As Hiccup stared up towards the Great Dragon, his slouched position suddenly straightened as Toothless bounded over and took his side.

"Yes?" The Great Dragon said after a moment of contemplation. Hiccup reached into the satchel at his side and from within drew out a brown tube surrounded by metal rings. At the top, surrounding the mouth of the tube, the ring was shaped into the head of a dragon. However, as Hiccup brandished the device, Merlin found himself most drawn to the symbols etched into the surface.

"We acquired this a few months back and have been trying to discover more about it" Hiccup began, holding it up for the dragon to see. Kilgharrah brought his head down, almost inches from Hiccup's hand and Merlin was impressed with the man's lack of movement at the sudden creature in his space. Kilgharrah's eyes narrowed suddenly and his head jerked back up from the device as Hiccup's hand fell to his side quickly.

"**The kókkinos drákon of Vortigern…"**

"The Red Dragon of Vortigern?" Merlin repeated for Hiccup.

"A despicable device I thought lost a long time ago."

"Despicable? From what we know about it, it only has information about dragons…"

"Yes, and even knowledge alone can cause true harm" the words were sobering as the two men made eye contract before refocusing on the dragon.

"Long ago, Vortigern was a good man. I know not, to this day, what caused him to suddenly change. He created this device to provide his men with the information they needed; the information necessary to destroy my kin. He was once a respected man and a great dragonlord…"

"He was a dragonlord?" Merlin didn't even realize he rudely cut Kilgharrah off. His mind trying to wrap around the information without being able too. The task of a dragonlord was to PROTECT the dragons… "How could a dragonlord…" He found himself unable to finish the thought as his anger spiked.

"As I said, I know not what caused him to change, only that he did. His followers, though small in number, gave him true loyalty. The **Drakon Kynigoús** waged war against the dragonlords for many a century before they vanished."

"We came across a very old dragon hunter's ship and that is where we found this," Hiccup said.

"Though knowledge is tempting, it is disastrous in the wrong hands. Tread carefully, young rider." Hiccup nodded his head before pocketing the device back into his satchel.

"Now, you said you also had a request?" the dragon prompted.

"We have an outpost about a two week boat ride northeast of here. I would like to check on it before we leave but even a flight takes 36 hours one way. How fast can you fly?" As he spoke, Merlin felt a sudden surge in familiarity again and as he looked from Kilgharrah to Hiccup, he slowly started to understand.

"I could make it in half the time. However, I am not a horse," the Dragon snorted before looking towards Merlin.

"This outpost is important to you?" Merlin asked, waiting for the nod before turning to Kilgharrah.

"Kilgharrah?" he asked simply. The sigh that came from the large beast made a smile break out over Merlin's face.

"I cannot say no to you, Merlin" Kilgharrah said after a moment, seeming to ignore Merlin's irritated gaze at the entirely untrue statement. He hadn't commanded Kilgharrah since the time he had healed Morgana; Kilgharrah said no to him all the time!

"Then we shall leave in two hours," jumping onto Toothless's back, he turned quickly to Merlin, "Thank you. Your group should be returning here shortly." With that Toothless jumped straight up into the air, his wings pounding as he ascended into the sky. After about two minutes, their figures disappeared from view.

"Is it him?"he spoke simply as he met the Great Dragon's gaze. With a barely perceptible nod of the head, Merlin looked back in the direction the pair had vanished.

"While the blood runs in his veins, he does not carry the ability," the voice of the Great Dragon continued, "Only an affinity. The true Dragonlord ability disappeared generations before his time. In fact, he should not have such a connection as he does, especially as his father yet lives."

"Why is it so strong then?" Merlin asked, as more feet could be heard approaching from behind yet again.

"I do wonder…" Kilgharrah said before halting. Before Merlin could grow more annoyed with his old friend, shouts of joy filled the air.

"Merlin!"

"Hey! You're awake!"

"You need to stop doing that, mate…"

Pulling out of the mass hug created by a swarm of happy knights, Merlin nearly fell face first to the floor before a strong grip on his shoulder kept him upright.

"Really, Merlin. You and gravity sure have a terrible relationship," the grin on Arthur's face was hard to miss. Merlin laughed before pulling his friend into a quick half hug. Pulling back, he caught sight of Stoick and Astrid who was astride a beautiful blue dragon with its head and tail covered in spikes. She nodded her head in greeting before sliding off the dragon's side to her feet. Patting the dragon on the head, she moved forward with Stoick.

"_This is Stormfly," _she said quickly, gesturing to the dragon that was walking at her side. Merlin looked up to the large bright yellow eyes. The large head was suddenly thrust into his side and before he knew it, the snout was nuzzling into his side.

"Finally found yourself a girl," Merlin ignored the laugh that Gwaine gave off in favor of scratching Stormflys head.

"_She really likes you,"_ Astrid said as she walked around her dragon. Smiling at her, he then turned his head towards Stoick.

"_I have a quick question,"_ he asks, ignoring the Knights for the time being who watch in amusement as Stormfly walks up cautiously towards Kilgharrah.

"_Yes, Merlin?" _

"_Has there ever been any other dragonlords on Berk?_

"_Our people were once at peace with the dragons, long before the purge began. Our relationship with them had actually begun to diminish long before even my father was Chief. As far as I know, there has never been another dragonlord on Berk or these fights would have never begun."_

A mental push in Merlin's mind had him quickly translating mentally to Kilgharrah. Silence reigned for a moment. _"_I wonder how true that is," Merlin turned to Kilgharrah who has a blue dragon nestled up on his side. Merlin tried not to grin at the sight but failed when Kilgharrah gave him a stern glare. Swinging his large head, Kilgharrah turned his gaze to the Chief of Berk, clearly ignoring the Viking girl as she tried to pull her dragon aside. "You say no other dragonlord has lived on Berk, yet I sense a connection within even you." Translating for Stoick, Merlin watched as the man's eyes grew in confusion.

"_A connection… Me?" _

"The young rider's connection is quite impressive. Perhaps someone in your family, long ago, had the soul of a dragon. It would seem, though, as if they chose not to pass it on."

"_I always thought my father only showed disdain to the dragons that attacked us. But there was a time when he would only look sad._ _How could Hiccup have the ability_?"

"Make no mistake," Kilgharrah's tone took on a sharper edge as Merlin finished translating. "The young rider is not a dragonlord. He cannot truly command our souls as he does not have the ability. However, the dragons of this area have chosen him and that has awakened his connection though his ability will forever sleep."

"Dragons can do that?"

"How often must I remind you. We are creatures of the old religion. Just as the connection that binds dragons and dragonlords is also formed by magic, that connection can be formed or broken by either side," the dragon scolded though Merlin could sense his affection within the reprimand.

"Is that why Hiccup said he felt strange when he went into the arena?" Merlin asked, watching as Kilgharrah's head tilted just slightly.

"The young rider expressed this?" With a nod, Merlin waited for Kilgharrah to continue. "If his connection to the dragons is truly as strong as it seems, then it is possible the magic within him was being affected." Merlin opened his mouth only to stop as the Great Dragon snickered. "Fear not, young Warlock, I felt no damage to the boy. Though he has a connection, it is still weak. He was able to ignore the feeling unlike you after all." Gritting his teeth, Merlin rolled his eyes as he felt Arthur's hand on his shoulder. Saying nothing for a moment, he turned to Stoick.

"_I can sense the bond he has. It's weak, as Kilgharrah says, but it exists."_

"_Is that why dragons always seem to listen to him?"_ Astrid asks, having given up trying to coax Stormfly away from Kilgharrah's side. Merlin repeated the question to Kilgharrah who lowered his head.

"It would certainly make sense. Though he is not a dragonlord, he carries the connection. I felt it myself."

"Is that why you…"

"As I said," the dragon cut off his lord, ignoring the glare sent his way. "he cannot command me, nor any other dragon. He can suggest, but he cannot order. His connection merely allows for a bond to form." Silence over took the area as the group left Stoick and Astrid to think. Merlin wandered over towards Kilgarrah and Stormfly. The smaller dragon was still nestled up to Kilgharrah's side but raised its head at his approach. Its head tilted to the side so its eye was able to watch his approach. Reaching the dragon, he barely had his hand raised before the dragon had placed her snout into his palm. Rubbing the smooth scales, Merlin looked out over the vast ocean at Kilgharrah's back.

"We leave for Camelot in 2 days," Arthur suddenly said from behind. Turning, Merlin blinked at how he had failed to notice when his King or the Knights of the roundtable had moved closer. "They have also gifted us a second ship. We should begin planning immediately for… what?" Merlin knew his face had given him away and he gave a weak smile.

"You will have to start that planning without me," he said, only to fidget when Arthur's eyes narrowed further. "Hiccup needs to check on a base of theirs a few hours north of here and asked if Kilgharrah and I would join him," he said.

"I see," Arthur said slowly before nodding once. "How long will this trip of yours be?"

"We should be back just before the boats are ready to leave," a voice said from behind. As one, the group turned as Hiccup made his way over from the tree line. He came to stand next to his father and Astrid who both still seemed stunned into silence. Astrid seemed to shake her head clear as she turned to face Hiccup who quickly repeated his comment in Norse.

"_You are going to Dragons Edge?" _She asked quietly but the open space and silent area caused her words to carry over to the Camelotians.

"_I want to check on a few things before we leave. I need you to stay here and make sure everything here is fine,"_ he said quickly as her eyes began to narrow. "_I also need you to keep Toothless from trying to follow,"_ he said even quieter and her eyes suddenly softened. Her hand rose to rest on his cheek for a moment before she suddenly turned and strode from the area. At that exact moment, Merlin almost lost his footing had the Knights and Arthur not been so close as the blue dragon suddenly stood and flew off after her rider.

"Shall we?" Hiccup said, as he moved away from Stoick towards the group. Merlin, finally righted thanks to the multiple red covered men around him, could not stop the grin from forming from the aggravated snort from above.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey Dragon riders/Warlocks/Witches! So as promised, this chapter is on time! First I want to express that this chapter and the next chapter are written for a few important reasons, but the main one was to start focusing on Arthur and Merlin (the next chapter is more focused than this one). Since this crosses two fandoms that don't mesh very well (Such as with the language barrier! I guess I could have just used magic but that felt too easy and clichéd…) it was hard to include certain scenes and still have the story flow well. I know Arthur and Merlin may have been acting unusual at times but I felt that, with the magic reveal technically occurring only three months prior to this story, it made sense. I wrote part of this chapter as a way to start showing progression, that though the HtTYD/Merlin crossover is the primary focus, there are other storylines going on in the background. I hope this chapter accomplishes that and that the next chapter fully encompasses this idea (I.E; Merlin and Arthur's relationships and the acceptance of... well... everything). This story is nearing its end! I think there are only two or three more chapters along with an epilogue left. **

I do want to mention that I will be moving next week and then have a wedding to attend so I will not have as much time to write and edit. I made sure this chapter was on time as I can't promise the next one will be. I hope you all stick with me until the end! Let me know what you think!

**WAY: **Thanks! It's been chaotic since graduation but I'm glad I've been able to update as much as I can (though it's not often it's better than my previous records!) I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**MugetsuPipeFox: **This story actually began after I wrote a short scene between Kilgharrah and Toothless just for my own personal amusement. After that it spiraled out of control and now I have this monster. How could I not have Kilgharrah? :P As for Dragon's Edge, nothing to impressive but I hope it's enough to stir the imagination…

**Ambiguous Cake: **I wasn't sure how people would take that twist but I'm glad it makes sense to others! More details on that in later chapters :D.

**Kotomi: **Thanks! It's been a wild ride and it's not even August yet. Ideally, I'll have this fic done within the next two months. After that… well… I may have a few surprises lined up!

**EmptyGlassBottle: **Hi! Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoy it! I honestly hadn't considered it either and then one day just thought to look up the crossover randomly. When I noticed there weren't many, I had to give it a try! If you post any of your story, I'd love to read it!

**Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Merlin or How to Train Your Dragon in anyway.**

* * *

**Key to Format**

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse_"

'_Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback_

"**Dragon"**

"_**Magic"**_

* * *

"We should head out now," Arthur said, causing Merlin to blink before giving the man a befuddled look.

"We? You aren't coming" Merlin watched as Arthur's eyes narrowed and knew an argument was at the tip of the man's tongue. "Don't argue with me Arthur," he cut in quickly, forestalling the argument and instead causing the King to gap. Had it been any other time, Merlin would have laughed at his expression. "You're the King, Arthur," he said more softly, "you need to stay here and oversee the plans for our return. We are just going to check on their outpost. Nothing more." He saw war wage on the monarchs face. Since his appointment to Court Advisor, their relationship had certainly seen a clear shift. Though Arthur still loved to remind Merlin that he was the King, he now made an effort to listen. Arthur had finally been able to admit both to himself and to Merlin that they were in fact equals. A moment more passed before Arthur's face turned to resignation.

"You're right" Arthur said, rolling his eyes as Merlin grinned. "Don't get used to it," he joked before turning serious again. "At least take one of the Knights with you," he said, only to scowl as Merlin shook his head. "Merlin, you were just unconscious. Again! You will take one of the Knights." Merlin could tell from the Knight's expressions that they agreed wholeheartedly and Merlin couldn't stop the sigh that rose to his lips. Running his hand through his hair, he took a step away from Kilgharrah so he was closer to his group. Lowering his voice, he said so only they could hear.

"Look, I know you're worried. This is still all new for all of us, but I can handle things on my own. We will be fine. It will be easier for just the two of us to get in and get out. Kilgharrah replenished my energy and I feel more than fine. Should anything happen, my magic will be more than enough to protect us. Not to mention we also have Kilgharrah." He could see, just by looking at each man's face, that they all wanted to argue his points. They had had similar arguments in the past whenever Merlin had decided to act on his own, especially after learning about his previous endeavors and near deaths. They had never been too pleased with his recklessness but he couldn't help it; old habits tended to be hard to stop after all. The Knights had been overprotective of the younger man before, now it was sometimes hard to bare. Knowing who would be his saving grace, he looked at Leon. The man's lips formed a tight line before he gave a barely perceptible head nod and then turned to Arthur.

"He is right, Sire," Leon said suddenly. Arthur and the other Knights all turned to face the head Knight with incredulous looks. "Though I want one of us to go with him as much as the rest of you; with all of us here, we can more easily prepare to set sail. That way we are ready to leave as soon as Merlin and Hiccup return," always the voice of reason, Leon's words were sound and the King could find no fault with them. Though it seemed like he was prepared to renew the argument in some other way, a shout from behind drew their attention. A similar argument appeared to be happening with the Vikings. Though Hiccup had managed to convince Astrid to stay behind, the rest of his team seemed less than pleased with the idea.

"_What do you mean we aren't coming?"_ Snotlout growled, his body leaning towards Hiccup as if about to pounce on his prey.

"_Exactly what it sounds like. I need you all to stay here and help get the reserve team prepared to protect Berk. Besides, our dragons aren't fast enough." _Hiccup said, his arms crossing as he stared down his cousin.

"_You are going to fly on Kilgharrah?" _The sudden question from the awe-filled Fishlegs caused a new argument to start up as the twins and Snotlout started to instead demand their own turn.

Glad that Kilgharrah seemed to be unable to understand Norse, he turned back to Arthur. Deciding that he had to make one more stand, he moved up to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. Drawing Arthur's attention, he drew in a single breath, "Trust me," he said, hoping his voice did not sound pleading. Arthur's eyes widened marginally before determination filled them. His hand rose and, mimicking Merlin's, found its way to Merlin's shoulder. Arthur's next words filled Merlin with a power that his magic had never been able to fill.

"Always. Just be careful." Arthur finally said. Merlin couldn't keep the silly grin off his face.

"You know me. I'm always careful."

* * *

Flying on the back of the Great Dragon was certainly a new experience for Hiccup. It had been a long time since he had truly ridden without a saddle and, despite the size of Kilgharrah's back, still had uncertainty in how best to hold on for safety at first.

"They care a lot for you," Hiccup said, trying for conversation early on into their trip. Merlin's first response was a long-suffering sigh that ended in a chuckle.

"I appreciate their concern," Merlin finally said after a few minutes of silence. "For a long time I was only an invisible servant. I was their friend, without a doubt," he said as if in an afterthought, "but they rarely thought twice about me being in dangerous situations. It wasn't until after my magic was revealed to them that they started to take notice of my less than safe actions," he said with a wry chuckle.

"What do you mean?"

"This may not make a whole lot of sense, but Camelot would have fallen quite a few times had I not acted. Instead, I came close to falling instead." Hiccup could not detect a hint of arrogance in the man's voice; instead, he spoke with a simple statement of fact. Though Merlin did not expand on the details, Hiccup soon came to understand. The man had placed himself into dangerous situations in order to protect his beliefs and loved ones. Hiccup almost laughed himself.

"Oh, I think I can understand," he said simply, thinking of Toothless, his Father, and Astrid almost immediately.

"Their overprotectiveness only got worse when we started talking about repealing the ban on magic. The council was not too pleased when Arthur started dropping hints. Percival had to forcibly remove Gwaine from the room to stop him from attacking a council member simply because he made a rude comment about sorcerers." Merlin seemed almost amused by the memory. Though the situation seemed a bit inappropriate to find humorous, Hiccup decided not to press for further details.

"You have an interesting relationship," Hiccup found himself echoing his words from the other day. Still unable to understand what he had seen with how his father had described the former King of Camelot.

"Arthur is a strong man, and an even stronger King. The last few months have been hard since my magic was revealed…Uther's purge was…"

"My father described the purge to us," Hiccup provided. Merlin's shoulders, which he hadn't noticed had been tensed, seemed to lose some of their tension as if a weight was lifted.

"That saves us some time," the humor had returned to his voice. "Arthur and I have always been at odds with each other. I was a servant who couldn't learn to listen and he was an arrogant prince who didn't want to seem weak. Then he made a bunch of commoners Knights, breaking the rule that Knights could only be nobles, and married a serving girl. We have always been friends, but it's sometimes hard for him to admit that."

"It's definitely easy to see."

"Actions certainly speak louder than words." Hiccup couldn't see but could tell that Merlin was smiling as he spoke.

After that, Hiccup and Merlin quickly fell into talking about dragons. Merlin couldn't stop asking questions about the dragons he had seen on Berk. He asked about Toothless and how the dragon riders had created a bond with their dragons. When they lulled in conversation, Hiccup decided to try asking Kilgharrah some questions about the Great Dragons. He felt the vibrations from beneath him as the dragon responded back. A beat of silence after Kilgharrah detailed how hatching worked, Hiccup thought he heard Merlin mutter something that sounded like 'Why you only bloody cryptic with me…'

Feeling the vibrations from below again, he almost thought the dragon was chuckling as he heard what suspiciously sounded like a 'only you deserve them, Young Warlock.'

After that, much of the trip was taken in silence, after a seemingly innocent comment about how only horses were ridden in Camelot compared to riding dragons in Berk. Kilgharrah had not been too keen on that particular conversation.

"Can you communicate with any dragon?" Hiccup asked suddenly as they finally neared Dragon's Edge. True to Kilgharrah's words, they managed the trip in less than 18 hours. Merlin, who was seated directly in front, turned slightly in his perch to eye the dragon rider. Before Merlin could utter a word, another voice settled in Hiccup's ear.

"_**I have already sent a message to your sentries, Young Rider," **_Hiccup was about to thank the dragon out loud when he startled. Blinking, he realized that the dragon had not actually spoken when he had heard the voice. There had been no vibration underneath his body to indicate otherwise. Merlin suddenly turned away from him and turned forward again without a single word. "_**I see you have never communicated in this manner," **_the voice spoke again and Hiccup was sure he heard amusement in the ancient voice. Feeling only slightly ridiculous, Hiccup tried thinking back a response.

"_**I cannot say that I have. Is this normal communication for the Great Dragons?"**_

"_**This form of communication is widely used by many a magic user or creature," **_the dragon said simply and it only took Hiccup a moment to realize the meaning. Straightening quickly, the man nearly fell backwards had he not gripped onto Merlin's arm. The magic user turned again, this time in concern to see a wide eyed Hiccup.

"Are you okay?" Merlin said, luckily not having to yell due to their close proximity. Too shocked for words, Hiccup merely nodded his head and gave a smile in response. Though he did not seem wholly convinced, Merlin turned back forward.

"_**Magic user, you say?"**_

"_**You seem uncomfortable with the revelation," **_the dragon continued in a conservational manner, which further floored the Berkian.

"Anyone would be!" Hiccup suddenly shouted before promptly covering his mouth as Merlin quickly turned to face him again.

"Anyone would be what?" he asked with a raised eye brow that was surprisingly intimidating; had Gaius seen, he would have been proud.

"I was merely expressing to the Young Rider that his connection to magic is indeed quite impressive." Merlin seemed to take a moment to absorb these words before his own eyes widened in shock before suddenly holding a very uncomfortable expression.

"You knew? Didn't you?" Hiccup asked with a sigh.

"I could sense it…during the ritual in the arena." Hiccup took a moment to contemplate these words as Merlin continued. "The dark magic was blocking me from sensing much of the magic on the island. I couldn't even sense Gothi's magic until she spoke to me." Remembering what the Great Dragon had called Merlin before, he asked the next question that came to mind.

"How could I have magic?" he asked. Merlin chewed on his lip as if unsure how to answer.

"Stoick said that your mother had magic, right?" Merlin said. Though Merlin was looking at him with an innocent and contemplative look, Hiccup couldn't help but feel as if the man was holding back. Merlin then nodded his head, grinning as if he had solved the mystery. Though the answer was logical, he knew he would have to question Merlin further later.

"So what? I am a Warlock?" Hiccup asked as calmly as he could, the name feeling weird on his tongue, only to become confused as Merlin shook his head.

"Simply because you have a magical connection doesn't make you a Warlock. Have you ever done something strange that couldn't be explained by normal means?" Thinking back, he could never remember a time where such an instance occurred so he told Merlin as such. With a nod of his head and a sudden contemplative look, Merlin turned forward again as he continued speaking. "Warlocks are born with magic and are able to control or show magical performance very early in life. It's almost instinctual. A sorcerer, another type of magic user, is someone who can wield magic, but only after years of study. Many people are born with the ability or the affinity for magic."

"If you chose to study, you could perhaps one day wield the magic that lies deep within you. As of now, it merely sits untouched" Kilgharrah added.

"How was I able to respond back to you then?" Hiccup directed towards Kilgharrah only to feel the dragon laugh again.

"I had opened up a connection with you. If you tried to speak with me in that manner now, you would not be able to." The group lapsed into silence again as Hiccup thought about all that he had heard. After they had dealt with the arena, he and the other riders had grilled Stoick and Gobber about magic. They had given brief descriptions about how it could be used for healing, for fighting, for defending, and even for more menial tasks. Having only seen Merlin heal a minor wound and, more or less, stand in one spot and call forth spirits of the dead, Hiccup was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the concept. Suddenly, he felt the tell-tale sign of descent. Looking over Merlin's shoulder, he saw Dragon's Edge come into view as Kilgharrah began to circle the island. As Kilgharrah banked from his circling, he began to head towards the center of the outpost. Though they were arriving close to dusk, Hiccup could still clearly make out the Dragon Arena as it passed underneath, its covered dome in need of repairs from the latest mishap between Snotlout and Hookfang. Kilgharrah finally touched down in the open area next to the arena before lowering his head so Merlin and Hiccup could slide off. Hiccup was thankful that Kilgharrah had to circle the island a few times before landing as it gave him a fine view of the condition. From what he saw, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Turning to Merlin, Hiccup blinked as a blur of white suddenly rushed by his head. Watching in amusement as Merlin almost lost his balance as the white Alpha Night Terror flew around his waist chipping before landing precariously on the man's back. With its front legs draped over Merlin's shoulders, Hiccup had to hold onto Merlin's arm to keep the man from falling backwards due to the dragon's weight. Merlin turned his head slowly as the dragon began to chip in the man's ear.

"What…?" he began when the dragon began to nuzzle his head against the magic user's cheek.

"This is Smidvarg," Hiccup said with a smile, before losing the smile to a frown. Taking a moment to think about how he had finally acknowledged Tuffnut's name of the Alpha Night Terror, he continued speaking. "He is a Night Terror and the Alpha of the Night Terrors that live on this island. They help us by acting as sentries. I think he likes you," he said in amusement as the dragon continued to rub his head against Merlin's. Chuckling, Merlin raised his hand to rub under the dragon's chin.

"They can sense a connection to him," Kilgharrah said as he raised his head from the ground. "Now, we must return soon." The rebuke in the voice was heard by all and Merlin raised his head before turning to Hiccup in expectation. The dragon jumped off of Merlin's back but remained flying next to his shoulder, chipping in clear happiness, as Hiccup led the way towards his hut. Eyeing the Warlock out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Merlin continuously turned his head to the dragon that flew by his side. Almost completely sure that he was somehow communicating with the dragon.

"Could you show me some magic?" Hiccup blurted, seeing Merlin's head snap away from the dragon and his eyes widen. "You don't have too," he said quickly, thinking he may have offended the man in some way. "It's just hard to fathom that I could have magic and, having seen you do some, I figured I should see more but you…" he knew he was babbling but couldn't stop himself until he heard light laughter.

"Sorry," Merlin said with a lop-sided grin, "It's just not often I meet someone who prattles as much as I do." Blinking, Hiccup couldn't stop the grin that formed on his own face. "I had hid my magic for so many years that it's just strange to hear it mentioned in normal conversation. Even after months, it feels like a dream," his eyes seemed to become unfocused before his gaze sharpened and focused back on Hiccup. "I would be happy to show you some magic if you could you tell me how you and Toothless became such good friends?" Though Merlin asked the question good naturedly, Hiccup couldn't stop himself from looking away. He hadn't felt guilt for what he had done to Toothless in years. The forgiveness he had recieved from Toothless had brought an early acceptance to his actions and had allowed him to move on. However, standing next to what he now knew was a Dragonlord, a person who was truly connected to the creatures he once tried to kill, he couldn't fight the sudden surge of shame that surfaced. Fighting it down, it sent a smile back.

"Perhaps a story for the way back," he said to which Merlin only nodded his head in agreement. Merlin raised his hand and held his palm out in front of him before muttering, "_**Forbearne," **_not sure what to expect, Hiccup startled as a flame burst to life in his hand. Hovering above the skin but not making contact, Hiccup grinned as he looked from the simple fire to the golden eyes that were just fading to blue. Having stopped to look at the flame, they continued walking as Merlin let the flame fade in the wind.

"What does it feel like?" he asked as they came to the first wooden bridge that would bring them to the huts.

"I've never actually thought about that before," Merlin said slowly. As they crossed the bridge, Merlin taking a slower time as he nearly tripped on a first plank of the bridge. "It feels like a fire burning in my body. Normally, it's just a dull warmth under my skin until I need to use it."

Walking across a few more wooden bridges, he continued to listen as Merlin detailed how magic worked until his hut quickly came into view. They walked up to the front door which had Toothless' head painted on the front.

He left Merlin on the bottom floor as he ran quickly up to his room. Pushing stuff off the table, and wishing his room was a bit tidier, he grabbed his telescope before walking to his bed. Grabbing his flight suit, he looked around for any last minute items when he heard Merlin call his name. Walking downstairs, he was confused to not find the man where he left him. Hearing his name called again, he walked outside and, walking around his hut to the back, found Merlin standing on the edge of the platform looking out to sea, Smidvarg a set fixture at the man's side.

"Merlin?" The man, instead of speaking, simply pointed down. Following his finger, he gasped as he was just barely able to notice the ship that was run ashore in the oncoming darkness. Pulling out his re-acquired telescope, he quickly scanned the ship. No weaponry was visible and only piles of crates were haphazardly strewn on the lit deck. Suddenly, a face took up the extent of his vision and he grinned as he recognized the brown haired man. "A friend," he explained, as he put the telescope back into his pocket. Turning to head down towards the beach, Merlin at his side, he continued speaking.

"It's Trader Johann. He travels around selling his merchandise." After a few moments, Johann met them half way.

"Johann, what brings you here?" Hiccup asked the man who was bent over his knees gasping for breath.

"Master Hiccup!" The man finally said, straightening and lurching forward to grab the Chief's son by the shoulders. "The Dragon Hunters!" Hiccup felt himself tense and could feel Merlin's gaze.

"What about them?"

"Well you see," the man released his shoulders and took a step back, "I was on my way back towards Berk, my favorite place I always say, when I was heralded by a passing ship. A swell fellow, though in due need of a wash. Reminded me of the time…" Hiccup cleared his throat and gave the man a sharp look before he could continue to ramble on. "Ah yes. He told me to be careful of my course as he had, from a distance, seen a group of ships headed in the direction of Albion. From his description of them, I could only assume it was the Dragon Hunters."

"What would they be doing heading towards Albion?" Hiccup asked, a sense of dread pooling in his stomach. Looking towards Merlin, and seeing the unease replicated on his face, Hiccup knew it wasn't good.

* * *

"Where is he?" Gwaine looked towards his fellow Knights with a shrug as he watched Leon walk up to their irritated King. They had been waiting in Berk's port for over an hour for their absent friend to return. Arthur had taken up pacing once it was noted that they still had not returned. To the Berkians, it looked as if the King was merely angry at his wayward servant. Though for Gwaine and the Knights, the King was just trying to hide his unease both for his kingdom and his friend's safety. The nearby dragons had looked up at the sudden outburst and seemed just as uneasy, if their flickering eyes between the agitated King and their masters were any indication. Leon stepped up and placed a hand on the King's shoulder, causing the man to pause and tense before leaning forward and whispering something. The King remained tense for a moment before slumping. Gwaine felt a momentary wash of sympathy for the man. His best friend had been gone for over a day and a half and still no word. Feeling uneasy about the situation himself, Merlin was his best friend after all, he realized just how much he missed having Mordred around; at least then they had a way to communicate with the trouble chasing Warlock.

"I am sure they will be back soon," Fishlegs spoke up suddenly, the man's unease clear but his words more confident than Gwaine had ever seen from him before. Stoick looked at the man, who was their only form of communication with Hiccup and Merlin gone, with pride. Just as Arthur was about to turn and respond, a great roar was heard. Everyone turned towards the sea to see Kilgharrah's dark shape slowly defining itself. Finally, after only seconds but which felt like hours, the Great Dragon touched down in an open space nearby. Gwaine sighed in relief as both Hiccup and Merlin slide off the massive Dragons neck before wandering over. Well, Gwaine noted with amusement; Merlin wandered over while Hiccup was forestalled from his own journey by being tackled to the ground by Toothless.

"What took you so long?" Arthur marched up to the man while everyone else hung back. Merlin barely had enough time to even open his mouth to explain. Giving Arthur a suddenly smug look, Merlin responded with a lop-sided grin.

"Sire, it almost sounds like you were worried about me." Arthur's face took on a scowl before lightly punching the man in the arm.

"Me? Care about you? Now I know you have been on the mead." He scoffed, though the twitch of his lips told a different story as he fought back his own grin. Gwaine was about to add his own rye comment to rile Arthur when Merlin's grin fell.

"We have a problem," he said before saying something in Norse. Gwaine figured he was repeating what he had said for their Berkian friends but Gwaine was already moving. Within seconds, he stood right next to Merlin and Arthur, the other Knights quickly following suit.

"What happened?" Arthur demanded.

"We ran into a friend while at Dragon's Edge," Hiccup said from behind Merlin, "Trader Johann, and he didn't bring good news."

"What did he say, Hiccup?" Fishlegs said, explaining to the others first what their friend had said. Astrid walked up to Hiccup's side as the man briefly spoke.

"He said that the Dragon Hunters seem to be headed towards Albion." Fishlegs gasped, before quickly translating for the others. While Astrid had a look of shock, the twins and Snotlout only looked more confused. Stoick and Gobber both looked uneasy, sharing a glance.

"Dragon Hunters?" Leon quickly latched onto the need for further details.

"They capture dragons and kill them for profit. We've been having problems with them for months now but we still don't know their ultimate goals." Hiccup explained. His irritation clear for all to hear.

"Why would Morgana ally with them?" Elyan asked the next necessary question only for Hiccup to shrug. Everyone then turned to the one man who would know the reasons.

"She knows Emrys is against her and that he has the help of the Great Dragon." At seeing Elyan's confused look, Merlin backpedaled. "After Morgana took Camelot with the Warlord Helios, Kilgharrah helped in our escape in Ealdor." He just managed to catch the dawning realization on Arthur's face before the expression clouded over. Arthur's hand then, unconsciously, went to Excalibur's sword at his hip at the sudden memories. "Anyway," he said, deciding to speak with Arthur about that later, "since she knows Camelot has a dragon protecting it, it wouldn't surprise me if she had searched for a means to defeat him."

"Are these Dragon Hunters good?" Gwaine directed the question at Hiccup who nodded his head before turning his head to face his friends. Translating the question, Gwaine watched as the group of Berkians suddenly gained wide grins as Hiccup turned back.

"But we're better." Laughing, Gwaine slapped the Chief's son on the back.

"_The Dragon Hunter's have been a thorn in our side for sometime. If they have indeed allied with Morgana, then I wish you all luck. If I didn't have to stay here, I would join you all."_

_ "Aye, you know we both would, Stoick," _Gobber made to punch his hand into his palm but seemed to forget he had changed his wooden hand for a rather crude hammer. Gwaine contemplated warning the man but realized too soon that he was never a man to contemplate and should have just acted. Instead he winced as the man slammed his human hand into fine stone.

"_Berk needs you here," _Hiccup said as Merlin translated. Stoick stared at his son for a moment before, surprisingly, moving his gaze to Merlin and then Kilgharrah. He turned to look at Hiccup again who was now looking at him in confusion. Stoick seemed to wrestle with something before coming to a decision as he opened his mouth only to be interupted as another voice cut in.

"Any word?" Arthur suddenly asked, the sudden question and seemingly change in topic throwing the group into confusion. Merlin shaking his head in response showed how he was the only person to understand the King. Gwaine nearly smirked; of course Merlin understood Arthur's indistinct (seemingly inconsequential) comment.

"I haven't heard anything from Mordred. I tried contacting him but I couldn't hear anything." Gwaine met Percival's gaze as understanding hit the Knights. He could read unease in his big friend's eyes. If Merlin couldn't contact Mordred…

"Didn't you give Mordred that telepathic thingy?" Gwaine asked in confusion before grinning at Merlin's scowl.

"It was an enhancing crystal, to boost his telepathic ability." Merlin said slowly. Gwaine merely shrugged. Merlin had explained it multiple times to him but he had given up trying to understand.

"Magic," Gwaine said in response, his grin growing at Merlin's rolled eyes and the barely suppressed grin that formed on the Warlock's face.

"It would seem something is blocking the druid boy from you," Kilgharrah said from above, causing Merlin to scowl as he turned to look up as if to scold the beast. "I shall continue to call him what he is," Kilgharrah continued before Merlin could speak. "The witches influence reaches far. We should begin our journey now."

Nodding, Gwaine turned to head towards the boat when Arthur forestalled everyone with a simple, "Wait." Turning towards Hiccup, Arthur walked up to the man and, looking at Stoick for a moment, turned back to the son.

"The people of Camelot are still not yet used to the idea of magic… or dragons. Their fear is still fresh from a previous attack." Though sighing, Hiccup could not deny how long it had taken even his own small village to be okay with the full presence of the dragons. He could not even fathom how an entire Kingdom could be tasked with changing that kind of perspective. "However," Arthur continued, his face stern but his eyes kind, "As King, I swear that no danger shall befall you or your dragons. You shall be under the complete protection of the King and Queen of Camelot. Of that, I swear upon my honor." After grasping hands with both Hiccup and Stoick, the group began to move towards the ship. Gwaine couldn't help but notice Merlin's large smile at Arthur's back.

* * *

Merlin had a sudden sense of Déjà vu as he listened to the sounds of clashing swords while sitting on the boats deck polishing Arthur's breastplace. However, the sense of Déjà vu was ruined by the sudden shout of Viking words mixed in with his own language. Glancing up, he caught sight of Gwaine disarming Elyan who nearly lost his sword to the water as the boat suddenly rocked. The twins and Snotlout, though not able to hold down conversations with the Knights, were clearly enjoying the daily 'training' and roughhousing. Returning to the breastplate, he didn't even glance up as two shadows sat down on either side of him.

"_Astrid, Hiccup," _he said in greeting. The companionable silence continued as the sound of the twins attempting to join in on the sparing reached their ears. The second ship, which was much larger and spacious, was only a few meters ahead of them and held most of their dragon companions and additional supplies. Since their original crew were from Camelot, they had not been easy about the presence of the dragons but had of course said nothing against their King. Looking up towards the front of the boat, he could just make out Arthur's tensed profile against the rising sun. They had already been at sea for over two weeks and were due back to the main land within a few days. Merlin had had to calm Arthur down the last few nights, and even snuck him a sleeping draft the night before in order to force the King to actually get some needed rest. Though not happy about the deception, Arthur had begrudgingly agreed that Merlin had been correct in his decision. The barely heard, "you have been living with Gaius much too long," had brought a grin to his face as Arthur had been unable to hide his own.

"_Are you worried?" _The sudden question brought Merlin from his reverie and he turned to face Astrid.

"_For everyone else, always. For myself, well, I'll do whatever I must."_ He said with conviction, putting the breastplate and washing clothe down. "_Are you?"_ Merlin said when Astrid opened her mouth. She gave him a narrowed eyed look which told him Arthur may have mentioned to the Berkian's about his apparent lack of self-preservation. Trying to stop an eye roll, he prompted her to speak instead of being baited by her look. Shaking her head in what he assumed in exasperation, she turned to face the roughhousing group. The twins were attempting to pin Percival to the ground but were only managing to barely move his arms from his side. Looking a bit closer, Merlin could tell that Tuff was attempting to pull Percival's arm down while Ruff seemed to just be gripping his arm.

"_The Dragon Hunters are strong and clever. But I know we can handle them. It's the magic that I am concerned with" _Hiccup responded from his other side. Looking over at the Chief's son, Merlin couldn't help but be nearly smacked with familiarity once again at the determination filled gaze and the calcualting look. They had all had time to get to know each other better due to the lack of space and free time since they had sailed out. Throughout it all, Merlin was both amused and irritated by the similarities he saw everyday in Arthur and Hiccup. Every day the two groups would exercise and train before detailing possible strategies for the upcoming fight. As Hiccup gave his ideas and described each of his teams strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the Knights, Merlin nearly laughed as Arthur did the exact same thing a moment later.

"_You know, you will make a great chief one day" _Merlin said suddenly, gaining Hiccup's attention from the ensuing fight before them. He saw Hiccup's eyes begin to widen. _"Sometimes you remind me of a certain King."_ Hiccup blinked in confusion before Merlin pointedly looked in Arthur's direction. He turned back to Hiccup to see him looking towards the front of the ship with a confused look before his face filled with understanding. Then, to Merlin's surprise, Hiccup suddenly started to laugh while Astrid let out a soft sigh.

"_Me? Like King Arthur?" _Hiccup said after a moment, before suddenly shifting awkwardly. Merlin looked to Astrid in uncertainty at Hiccup's sudden shift in atitude. She mearly shook her head and looked away, her lips pursed together as if trying to prevent herself from saying anything. Merlin figured this was some sort of long standing argument between the two of them and so turned back to Hiccup who was now staring out to sea. _"I fail to see how."_

"_You're Stoick's son. Born to lead Berk and are already leading an outstanding group..." _He said, feeling as if he was talking to Arthur only with a few changes in the words. He trailed off as Hiccup began to shake his head.

_"I'm only as good as my team. I'm not trying to be a great leader; I'm only trying to protect what is mine."_ Merlin was unsure what to say to that and so steered them back onto the topic of magic. Merlin had been showing the Berkians some magic each day in order to familiarize them, and their dragons, with potential threats or attacks. While they were showing immense skill at learning to combat the magic he threw or showed them, they were still new to the idea. Hiccup had even asked Merlin to try and teach him a few spells but was having difficulty grasping his magic. When Hiccup had asked Merlin why he couldn't even touch it, Merlin had decided to silently ask Kilgharrah. The dragon had explained that Hiccup's magic was based on his dragonlord ancestry and so was harder for him to reach. Arthur had mentioned to him offhand early into their trip that Stoick had asked them not to mention his ancestory to Hiccup as he wanted to do it himself once they reurned. Merlin was hard pressed to explain to the rider why he couldn't perform spells and so ended up giving a rambling response on the ways of magic and balance that seemed to confuse but satisfy the curious Viking at the time.

"_You have taught us a lot these last two weeks," _Hiccup continued as Snotlout tried to tackle Gwaine to the ground. The rogue Knight simply side-stepped out of the way with a devlish grin. "_We have a good understanding of magic and our dragons seem able to sense its prescence easily enough now...b__ut what if its not enough?" _he asked.

"_That's why you have me."_ He said in all seriousness. Deep down, Merlin knew his magic was finally going to show its purpose. He was going to protect everyone if it was the last thing he did. Turning back towards Arthur who was still facing out to sea, Merlin was about to say more when he noticed a strange darkness clouding at the corner of his eyes.

Blinking a few times to try and clear his vision, he briefly looked up to check the position of the sun and was surprised to see it was still rising. Though the sun was barely at mid day, his vision appeared to be growing darker and darker by the second.

"Merlin?"

"What's wrong?" Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in his head and only one word made sense.

"_**Emrys!"**_

"Mordred?"

"What about Mordred?" Arthur's voice suddenly broke his mind into clarity and he realized that he had spoken out loud instead of in his mind. Confused as to when Arthur had made his way over but knowing he had more important questions to ask, he blinked and turned his head down. Grunting, he pushed the hands away from his shoulder and focused inwardly.

"_**Mordred?"**_

"_**Oh Thank the triple g-ddess! I have been trying to reach you. The enhancement stone you gave me stopped working…"**_

"_**What's happened?" **_He cut off the frenzied Knight.

"_**When we hadn't heard from you, the Queen asked me to contact Iseldir but I couldn't get in touch with him either."**_

"_**You can't reach Iseldir?" **_Merlin's eyes shot open, he didn't even try to hide the fear as his eyes met Arthur's who still knelt before him.

"_**I rode out with Sir Bedevire and Sir Kay as soon as I realized the connection was gone but when we arrived at the camp…"**_ Mordred suddenly stopped. Merlin could feel the druid boys unease through the connection and, with a firm mental reassurance that Merlin didn't necessarily feel himself, he felt the boy relax slightly. _**"Emrys… the camp has been destroyed…"**_

"No…" he wasn't sure anymore if he was even projecting but he was sure Mordred had still heard him.

"_**There was no sign of them. The druids are missing. And one other thing…" **_The boy said hesitantly. Instead of answering, Merlin waited for the coin to drop. "_**She sent a message. Morgana's army: they march on Camelot in three days…"**_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N.**

Ello everyone! So my only excuse for this long break is: new graduate out of college who finally has a job (thankfully since my loans just left the grace period .). Aside from that, I have a crazy rabbit that is running my life and little to no time in between working and sleeping for much else (I know a lot of you can understand that!). Anyway, I do have the 10th chapter ready and beta'd to go. I apologize to everyone who was hoping for the fight/intense moments to happen now but unfortunately I felt this chapter had to happen first. Fear not! Chapter 10, as I said, is done, and I already have it set to post sooner rather than later as a thanks to those still invested in this story. I do not have much written for chapter 11 yet but rest assured, this story will finish. There isn't too much left to write anyway so how could I not?

Thanks to all you wonderful people!

_**Chima: **_Thank you for your sudden message Chima, as I had forgotten for a while I still needed to post. .

**Koala**: I swear not to leave this story! It shall finish :D

**Dragon JMK:** That really means a lot. I had first started this as a stupid one-shot, more or less as a joke since I hadn't thought the two would meld together. Its certainly been difficult not being forgetful to either fandom!

**Crashing: **As far as the story shows, Merlin trusts Mordred to a degree. I hadn't planned to go to in depth into that portion of the storyline anytime soon since the plot is focused on the relations between Merlin's crew and Hiccup's Crew but maybe in later chapters/installments!

**Ambiguous!: **Thanks as always for your feedback! Yeah, I figured it would be a bit much, and for that, I apologize for this chapter as well! Unfortunately, I felt like this was just as necessary though it was as painful to write as it was to reread XD Such is the issues of storytelling! However, I promise the next chepter will be all we wish for!

**WAY: **I certainly should try for your methods in the future! It would certaintly fix this terrible streak I'm getting into. I'm also glad you enjoy the new additions. Being a canon lover myself, I wasn't sure how well it would come across.

**Mugetsu: **Very interesting guess! We shall see soon enough I think :D Morgana certainly has many a trick up her sleeve!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, or followed! Hope you enjoy! If you find any errors that we failed to notice, please don't hesitate to share!

Best,

Cast

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or HTTYD.**

* * *

Key to Format

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse_"

_'Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback_

"**Dragon"**

**_ "Magic"_**

* * *

"If you say 'I told you so', you will be in the stocks for a month," Arthur ground out between clenched teeth as Merlin tried to contain his laughter. Arthur was seated behind him on Kilgharrah and, though Merlin could not see the man, knew he was holding onto the dragon for dear life. Though he normally had no reservations about mocking or teasing his King, he decided to hold back for once. Though Arthur's words seemed heated, they were only there to hide his fear; a fear which both Leon and Elyan were trying to hide as well seated behind their King respectively. Merlin knew their fear of riding was only being increased by their worry for the Queen and Camelot.

Merlin had sat in shock for a few minutes after Mordred had broken the connection. The second Arthur seemed about ready to hit him to snap him out of whatever shock he found himself in, he blurted out that Morgana was ready to attack. The thick silence and shock had been broken when Hiccup had suggested they take the dragons in order to get to Camelot quicker. A beat of further silence before Arthur, with a grateful look towards Hiccup, took charge. He quickly barked out orders, telling the crew and captain to continue on to the port and have the guards stationed there told of the change in plans and to return with the servants. The three servants on ship stared wide eyed until Arthur told them to prepare the Knights gear before telling the Knights themselves and Hiccup to prepare to leave in an hour. Arthur had waited a moment to watch as everyone ran off to take care of their own business before heading below deck himself. Merlin followed silently, knowing he had to quickly pack and then call for Kilgharrah who had flown ahead since he couldn't feasibly stay on any of the ships unlike the smaller dragons in their company. He was so deep in thought, going through a list of possible spells, that he didn't notice Arthur had stopped walking until he walked into the man. Still on the stairs, Merlin fell back onto the step and looked up at Arthur in confusion who was grinning down at the Warlock. Scowling, Merlin stood and went to pass Arthur when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

"You're asking me if I'm okay?" he asked incredulous. Arthur ran a hand through his hair, turning his head to look towards the wall. The stairwell was small, forcing Merlin to have to duck his head to prevent himself from hitting it on the wooden ceiling. Arthur, who was slightly shorter, was able to stand straight though his hand nearly hit the ceiling as he brought it above his head.

"I know it's been a difficult few months and I certainly haven't been very helpful at times…"

"Is this you attempting to apologize?" Merlin couldn't help but ask, realizing that Arthur had misunderstood what he had meant. The grin wide on his face as Arthur shot him a warning look.

"I know we cannot hope to defeat Morgana without you," he admitted, "so I cannot fathom how you must feel…" Arthur continued on, ignoring the attempted banter.

"Arthur," Merlin cut him off once more, ignoring the look Arthur leveled at him again. "I meant I should be asking if YOU are okay." The King's eyes widened for a moment before he barked out a sudden laugh. Shaking his head in amusement he turned and began to walk down the stairwell again.

"You really are an idiot. A loyal idiot." Arthur joked. Merlin sped up to walk beside his King, bumping into his shoulder due to the tight quarters of the hallway.

"And you're a prat," he shot back, as Arthur forcibly pushed into his shoulder.

"Still can't talk to me that way, _Mer_lin."

"Yet for some reason I still do."

"That's because you don't know how to listen."

"Oh I know how to listen; I just don't listen to you. But you should really start listening to me. It would have saved us a lot of trouble… All my funny feelings and…"

"Do you only know how to prattle on?"

"I like to think it's more of my own personal vernacular."

"You always impress me with your word choices," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I would hope so. I write your speeches after all."

"Merlin…"

"Shut up?" As they reached their door, they shared a short laugh before sobering and nodding before heading to their respective stuff and quickly packing. As Merlin grabbed his cloak, he turned in time to watch as Arthur began to slide into his chainmail. Though he was thankful for the normalcy that came from bantering with Arthur, he knew that Arthur needed more.

"We will win," he said, causing Arthur to pause and turn towards him, his eyebrow raised at the suddenness. "I know it, Arthur." Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly and then turned back towards his armor as he began to slide on his shoulder pauldron.

"How do you know?" he asked stiffly. Though his tone seemed sharp and scornful, Merlin knew it wasn't meant. Arthur was hiding his concern and so Merlin gave him exactly what he wanted; the truth and reassurance.

"Because I do," he said simply and Arthur turned to face him with an expectant look as he strapped his scabbard to his side. "I know we will win, not just because we must but because we can. We have some of the greatest warriors on our side." He said, thinking not only of the Knights but also of Hiccup and his group. "You still have a land to unite so this cannot be our last battle. You have a Kingdom to rule and people to save. That is why I know we won't lose." He said simply and saw the determination fill his King's face as he spoke. Walking towards Arthur's bed, he reached for the sword that was laid across the blanketed surface. He turned back towards Arthur. Merlin reached out, the sword held out on his palms. Arthur reached out to grab it by the hilt. "We may be outnumbered, but that has never stopped us before. We had faith then. Nothing should stop us from having faith now." Grasping Excalibur, Arthur slowly slid it into the scabbard though he never looked away from Merlin, a smile starting to form on his face.

"You know, your sudden moments of wisdom always astound me. You are still a mystery, my friend."

"Will you ever fathom me out?" Merlin asked, curious as to how Arthur would answer the question after everything that had happened. The last time he had asked a similar question, he had nearly died a few moments later from the Dorocha. Arthur's face seemed to harden for a moment, as if his thoughts were following the same train before he shook his head and a smile finally shone. Arthur reached out his hand, Merlin grasping it back without thinking.

"I will. I have faith." Merlin's responding smile was even larger. After that, they had returned to the deck to a flurry of activity. Hiccup was mounted on Toothless as were the other dragon riders. Merlin strode to the side of the boat and quickly called to Kilgharrah. He was glad that all the servants were below deck as the looks the crew were shooting him were uncomfortable enough. The Knights were just striding onto deck themselves as Kilgharrah flew into view. Due to his size, he stayed high above the ships to prevent his wing flaps from causing chaos in the water.

"We must divide up if we are to make it to Camelot in time," Arthur began from behind. Seeing Arthur and the Knights eyeing the dragons in discomfort, except for Gwaine and Percival who were bouncing on the balls of their feet, Merlin gestured for Hiccup.

"We can take some of you up to Kilgharrah," he offered from Toothless.

"That would be helpful as he cannot get close to the ships." Arthur said stiffly. "My Knights…" he said, mostly to Merlin.

"Kilgharrah can easily take us, though he won't be happy with carrying all of us," Merlin said.

"Two of you can ride with one of us. I can take one and Snotlout can easily take another." Snotlout perked up at his name though he grumbled under his breath when he couldn't understand why his name was mentioned. "The others cannot easily carry a second person comfortably."

"That should be fine," Arthur agreed. Gwaine and Percival, who were more comfortable with the Vikings, were quick to offer to sit with the Berkians. As Hiccup reached down to Gwaine to offer him a hand up, Gwaine shot a smile towards Astrid who was already mounted on Stormfly.

"I have to say, I would much prefer to sit with a beautiful maiden," Gwaine said with an impish look even as he reached up towards Hiccup's outstretched hand. Having spent a few weeks with the rogue Knight, Hiccup no longer batted an eye at his comments. Instead, his hand closed around Gwaine's.

"I think the feeling is mutual," he said with a grin back as Gwaine hoisted himself up behind Hiccup with a laugh as everyone else grinned.

Merlin had to hide a snicker as Ruffnut began to argue why Percival couldn't sit with her. After having Snotlout bring Merlin, Arthur, Elyan, and Leon up to Kilgharrah, the others mounted and took off from the boat. Within moments, they were following behind the Great Dragon.

Time seemed to drag on as they flew. Though Kilgharrah could have easily outpaced the others, and so could have gotten them to Camelot sooner, (a fact Arthur was fully aware of and forcing himself to not give the command to do so), they had to hold back in order to allow the others to follow. Kilgharrah knew where they were going after all. Silence reigned for most of the trip. They would have had at least three days of sailing left, but the dragons cut down that time to a day and a half of travel. By the time Kilgharrah announced that they were reaching land, darkness had already fallen.

"Can you ask Mordred where her army is?" he heard Arthur ask from behind. Closing his eyes, he sent out his magic, the connection far easier to make with the much shorter distance.

"_**Mordred, any idea where the army is?"**_

"_**We have not seen her approach yet. Though I imagine they will be at our walls within the next day."**_

"No sign of them yet."

"Knowing her, she would use the front gate," Arthur said, strategy in his voice and a cold sense of humor tinging his words. Merlin could only agree. Morgana was still the same showy person she always was. She would much rather use the front door.

"Kilgharrah," the King asked.

"Yes?" Merlin felt Arthur shift uncomfortably at the vibration of Kilgharrah speaking below.

"Could you land in a clearing at the back of Camelot?" The rumble he felt below him was all the answer they needed. As the moon continued its path across the sky, they could just make out the castles high towers of Camelot in the distance. After another hour of flight, in which dawn seemed to be nearing, Kilgharrah began his own descent. Landing lightly in the clearing that Merlin would normally call to him in, he lowered his head to allow the Warlock and Knights to dismount. The others soon following suit.

"It's a few hours walk from here. We should be in Camelot by dawn if we move now." Arthur asked.

"We can sneak in through the siege tunnels," Merlin offered to Hiccup who was looking up at the barely visible towers with an unsettled look. Though Hiccup gave him a look of thanks, Arthur quickly turned to give him a strange look.

"I'm not going to sneak into my own castle, _Mer_lin," he said flatly before shaking his head. "We can walk in through the South Gate. _You _can walk in through the gate" his voice suddenly lowered, "You don't have to sneak anymore." Merlin felt his cheeks redden before he scowled to try and hide it, glad that the sun was still down.

"I meant for the dragons, you clotpole," he said, only for Arthur to blink.

"You want to bring dragons into the city," he said slowly.

"You expect them to stay out here?" he argued. Arthur turned to Hiccup who had been listening in from the side with a slowly building smile.

"Would the dragons stay here out of sight if you commanded them too?"

"They may but they are more likely to follow us, especially since this area is new to them," Fishlegs answered instead as he climbed off of Meatlug.

"So siege tunnels it is." Hiccup quipped as the grin on Merlin's face bloomed. Arthur sighed before gesturing for everyone to follow. Kilgharrah took off into the sky behind them hidden by the trees of the clearing.

The walk through the forest and into the siege tunnels had been relatively quiet. Deciding to bring the dragons down into the cavern beneath the castle, Merlin couldn't help but see the irony as he, Arthur, and Hiccup made their way up the stairs with Leon and Elyan in tow. The cavern that was once the prison for what was thought to be the last of his kind was now acting as a stable for their small army of dragons. Hiccup had left Fishlegs in charge of their group and had pleaded with Astrid to try and keep Toothless from following him. He barely caught the 'are you serious?' look that she had leveled at him as he raced after Arthur and Merlin.

"I've already warned Mordred that we are here," Merlin said as they left the cavern, Arthur to his left.

"Good. Did he have any other news?"

"The lower town has already been evacuated…" At Arthur's shocked look, Merlin smiled.

"Gwen. She had them begin leaving and entering the citadel a few days ago after Mordred returned from the druid camp." The pride on Arthur's face was hard to miss. "He also said that she has already called the Knights and that they are prepared and ready. Guards are already stationed on the ramparts as well."

"Halt!" A voice called out from the top of the stairs before Arthur could respond. Merlin had a split second thought that they should have considered the noise Hiccup's metal leg would make on the stone floor as he found himself tense up even as the King chuckled beside him.

"You are enjoying this way too much," Merlin hissed between his teeth.

"They aren't going to arrest us. I'm the King," he said back with a smirk even as he walked forward to meet a very flustered guard.

"S…sire!" The man exclaimed, almost dropping his sword as he fumbled to pull it away from his King's chest. "What…what are you… I mean…"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," the King said, barely hiding his amusement. As Merlin reached the top step with Hiccup and two Knights of the Roundtable in tow, the man's eyes fully bulged from his eyes. Merlin could almost see the man consciously realize he had forgotten himself as he suddenly straightened and bowed.

"Your Majesty, Lord Merlin."

"I need you to send word that the council is to meet," Arthur said suddenly, his amusement vanishing as fast as it came. "We are to assemble in an hour in the throne room." The guard gave a sharp nod before he turned and all but ran from the room. Without another word, Arthur moved for the exit.

"Arthur, we could have done that," Elyan asked as the group followed from behind, gesturing to both himself and Leon.

"True, but I need Leon with me before the council meeting. I need you to head directly to the armory. Take a quick stock and make sure everything is ready for the men than call the Knights. I want every Knight assembled in the courtyard in two hours. I'm sorry you won't be able to take part in the meeting…"

"Though I would love to be in the room to see the council's reaction to this plan, I understand, Arthur," Elyan said, his amusement easy to hear. A long sigh was Arthur's only response at the sudden reminder to what he was about to bring to the council. As they reached the main corridor, Elyan placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder before turning and disappearing down the right corridor.

"I need to find Guinevere…"

"Mordred said she had taken breakfast in her chambers." Merlin said, smiling at Arthur's relief and quick nod of thanks. "Will you need a bath drawn and food brought?"

"Merlin, I have servants who can do that. And I know how to dress myself!" he grumbled, Merlin closing his mouth as Arthur beat him to the quip. Rolling his eyes with a barely hidden fondness, Arthur began to walk off with a smiling Leon. "Go. Say hello to Gaius and show Hiccup the grounds. Meet in the throne room in an hour. Don't be late!"

Merlin rolled his eyes at the blatant comment directed towards him before heading in the opposite direction. Gesturing for a chuckling Hiccup to follow, he took the longer path towards the physician's chambers, pointing out specific locations and places for Hiccup's benefit. Though it was still very early morning, the sun had already raised enough to allow for the castle and town to be easily seen. Hiccup had looked out a nearby window, eyes wide at the sight of the large and beautiful courtyard that then fell into a far-reaching, clustered and already bustling town.

"It's amazing…" was all he could say as they moved on.

"Wait till you see the castle in the daylight," Merlin said with a laugh. Since they had gone underground as soon as possible, they had barely been able to see the town or castle in its entirety. Though the walk was short, Merlin was grateful when they finally arrived at Gaius's door. As they had walked, quite a few servants had skirted out of their way or avoided eye contact with the pair. Having been a servant, Merlin had worked closely with nearly every individual they had passed. Though he had only been a lord for a short time, the sudden treatment still affected him. Secretly, he was deathly afraid of how much worse it would get once he was revealed as a sorcerer. He could feel Hiccup's gaze on him periodically, asking silently if he was okay. Pushing the door in, he barely spoke Gaius' name before he was engulfed in a massive hug.

"Oh my boy, welcome back!" Merlin immediately returned the hug with full force. He hadn't realized how long of a trip they had been on until he realized how much he had missed his Guardian. After a moment, he forced himself to pull away and quickly stepped back. Hiccup's eyes, which had been skirting around the room at the different vials, structures, and devices scattered around the space, snapped quickly back to the pair.

"This is Gaius, the Court Physican," Merlin said to Hiccup before looking back to Gaius and gesturing to the dragon rider. "This is Hiccup. He is the Chief, Stoick the Vast's, son of Berk." Hiccup moved forward to shake Gaius's hand.

"I hope Berk is well and that your Father is in good health. I have not seen him in many years." Gaius looked Hiccup up and down for a moment before his eyes landed on the man's leg. "I suppose Gobber is still well."

"The Chief is in perfect health. Which means Berk is as crazy as ever," he said with a grin before gesturing to his leg. "This is actually my own creation but Gobber is still hobbling along." After a few more questions, Gaius told the two men to clean up from their long journey. Grateful for the distraction, Merlin and Hiccup both walked to the table where a bucket and rags were set up so they could quickly clean their face and arms.

"I see your journey was successful?" Gaius asked from behind at his work bench. Merlin turned, the rag half obscuring his face but could easily make out Gaius's raised eyebrow. Understanding the hidden meaning, Merlin couldn't help but sheepishly rub the back of his neck, not having figured out how to explain the newest development. Instead, he decided to just jump into it.

"Yup! We have five dragons to aid us…" he watched as Gaius's eyebrow fell for a split second before his eyes widened. The much older man's eyes flew to the Berkian in clear panic before Merlin moved forward with his hands held out. "No! Gaius, its fine. Berk doesn't kill dragons anymore." Gaius's dubious look was only halted when Hiccup decided to speak up.

"We haven't hunted dragons in years. Many of us at Berk actually ride dragons now. Even my father," he said with barely contained humor as Gaius's eyebrow flew back up again, almost disappearing into his hairline. Gaius shook his head.

"Time does change people…" he said after a moment, his tone breathless and his face filled with shock. "I would love to hear the story involved…" Gaius said meaningfully but before Hiccup would respond, Merlin shook his head.

"It will have to wait. Arthur is calling for a council meeting."

"Then we should best be on our way," Gaius said as he looked out the window to assess the time.

"You're right. We should probably go before he decides to throw something at my head," he said with a grin, holding the door open for the Physician and Dragon Rider.

Two guards were stationed outside the throne room doors as usual but once they noticed Merlin and Gaius, they opened the doors without a word or question. Walking in to the large vaulted room, Merlin easily picked out Arthur, freshly cleaned and dressed, at the back with Gwen, Mordred, and Leon. Standing around the round table, most of the council members were already present and all eyes zeroed in onto the three new entries. Merlin felt their gazes on him first, many of which wore thinly veiled displeasure before he noticed the shift. Turning his head slightly, he saw Hiccup's eyes shift from the different individual's before his eyes flickered towards Merlin's. Giving the man an apologetic look, Hiccup merely grinned and shrugged in response. Merlin hadn't considered that Hiccup would seem so out of place, but being back in Camelot in all its 'finery,' he was hit by how accustomed he had become to being around his Viking hosts and friends for so long.

"Oh good. You are actually on time," Arthur seemed to finally take note of their presence. His tone was light and joking but Merlin could easily see the hard look in Arthur's eyes as he marched forward towards the table with Gwen on his arm. He met each council members gaze, causing each man to look away before turning back to Merlin and Hiccup. "I hope Merlin hasn't completely confused you yet. I suppose having him show you around the castle was perhaps not my smartest idea since he gets lost going to his own chambers," the King said, a smirk fighting its way on to his face as Merlin scowled.

"I haven't done that since I first came to Camelot," he grumbled, fighting his own smile as he could sense the further disgust emanating from various members of the council. Arthur seemed to decidethat their bantering was done as he gestured to Gwen.

"I would like to introduce you to my wife, Guinevere." Arthur said before grinning in tandem with Merlin as they watched Hiccup bow his head. They could already see the look forming on Gwen's face as the man spoke.

"Your Majesty, it's a pleasure…"

"None of that," she interrupted, taking her hand off of Arthur's arm to dismiss the action before beaming and reaching forward to take Hiccup's hand in a firm shake. "Arthur tells me Camelot has you and your people to thank for the aid in this coming battle. Please, call me Gwen." Hiccup seemed to blink in shock for a moment before he smiled and shook her hand back. Merlin could again feel deep displeasure from many of the members of the council at their Queen's behavior but Arthur's deep laugh and smile caused no one to speak out of turn.

"It's time to begin this meeting," Arthur said, his tone filled with authority, causing chairs to scrape across the ground as people took their seats. Arthur took his usual seat with Gwen to his left, Leon on her other side, and Merlin to his right while Hiccup took a seat beside Merlin. "Now, I am already aware that Morgana has sent word. Her army is to attack soon. Do we have any word from our other allies?" Before Arthur could direct his gaze, Sir Kay had already stood from the other side of the table.

"We have received word from both Nemeth and Carleon. Queen Annis said she is dealing with issues to her North and cannot spare men but has sent food and supplies. King Rodor rode out with his Knights two days ago."

"Good, hopefully he will arrive in time. Now, I would like…"

"Sire," a lord from across the table suddenly speaking up. "You left with your Knights without word to any on the council."

"That is in fact false. Both the Queen, Sir Mordred, and Sir Kay were aware of my plans," Arthur said without hesitation, nodding in the two Knights direction across the table.

"Typically, the entire council is provided with information regarding these matters… sire," the lord said as if in an afterthought.

"In order to fight against Morgana, I chose to only reveal these plans with my Round table. We knew that our allies may not be able to assist us and that we would need additional outside help." Eyes drifted to the unusual man seated at the table. "After speaking with my court advisor," his eyes meeting Merlin's for a split second, "it was decided that we would need aid from outside of Albion. We set out for the Viking Village of Berk and have acquired the aid of their best fighters. Unable to leave his Village at the present time, the Chief has sent his son in his stead. Hiccup Haddock the III." Hiccup waved in greeting to the gathered men of the table.

"My Lord, I do not mean to interrupt, but I fail to understand how this man could provide any assistance…" the man was smiling pleasantly as if asking a simple question but the smile was hiding a poorly concealed sneer. Merlin could see Arthur's eye twitching as his eyes snapped to the same interrupting lord.

"Lord Erec," King Arthur said sharply, the lords mouth snapping shut. "Guinevere mentioned that you had offered your men to assist in this fight." The man straightened, as if ruffling his feathers to appear larger.

"But of course, sire. The Southern lands have been without strife for many months. My men keeping alert and clear watch to protect the people…"

"So correct me if I am wrong," Arthur said, cutting the man off. "Your men have been without practice for quite a few months. I fail to understand how they could provide adequate assistance…" he trailed off, the clear meaning ringing in the silent room as the lord's face turned red. Merlin coughed to hide a sharp laugh as Arthur held the lord's gaze for a moment longer before turning his head in clear dismissal.

"It is at this time that I would like to address the council on a further matter," Arthur said and Merlin tensed. "I have mentioned it in passing at previous meetings, but the topic of magic…" Arthur had to raise his hand for silence as mutterings began around the table. "Magic has been a topic of much debate these last few months…"

"We have already pardoned the druids and even allowed them to walk freely through our streets," Lord Erec began again, fidgeting as Arthur's eyes landing on him once again.

"And I have said that that is not enough," the King stated.

"What more could be done?" Another lord asked, his tone questioning and uncertain.

"I call for the removal of the ban on magic," the sentence dropped the room into true silence before chaos ensued. Lords were shouting over each other, stating that the King was enchanted or that his father would never have stood for such a decree. A sudden hand banging on the hard surface of the table stopped all noise. However, when everyone looked to the King they noticed his hand was raised as if to make the noise. Following his gaze, everyone met the hardened and blazing gaze of the Court Advisor whose hand was clenched and trembling as a fist on the round table.

"You are all fools," he said into the reigning silence. "Your King, the man you have pledged yourself to has demanded for action and yet you merely scorn him and disregard him for something you do not understand. This is a war. Morgana will not come solely with swords and men…" Merlin took a breath of air and while the anger fled from his body almost immediately, his body still pulsed with tension, "until you understand that only magic can fight magic, you will never succeed." The statement was met with silence as the lords gaped.

"Merlin states the truth," Arthur said, his face blank though his eyes were sparkling with hidden amusement. "I have come to understand this myself. It is due to this that we will have the aid of magic on our side.

"The druids, sire?" A lord asked into the gaping silence. Arthur nodded his head, deciding it was a fair half-truth as they did have Mordred on their side.

"The magic users that aid us in this fight are not to be harmed. They fall under the protection of the crown of Camelot. At the same time, thanks to Berk, we have the ability to now fight against the dragon that aids Morgana." Arthur continued quickly to prevent the council from interrupting again. Eyeing Hiccup for a moment. "We have long fought against the dragons but, with the removal of the ban of magic, our fight against them after this battle will end."

"The last of the dragons will finally be destroyed after all," one of the lords said, his smile large as though he had understood his King's meaning.

"That is not what I meant. In fact, I believe you are incorrect in your facts as there are quite a few dragons left in this world."

"But, they are beasts, my lord. Ones that would see us burned. If more do remain, as you say, then we must not stop in our destruction of them" Lord Erec spoke up again. Merlin felt anger surge again. He ignored the look Arthur shot towards him as he opened his mouth to, more or less, yell at the lord. A shift from his right caused him to pause as Hiccup spoke up instead.

"Dragons are bright, intelligent creatures," Hiccup said, all eyes turning to face the foreigner, clear shock on everyone's faces. "They don't want to hurt us."

"What would you know, boy?" The lord sneered, clearly not meeting Arthur's gaze. "Berk has been our long standing ally in the fight against these beasts."

"Well as a citizen of Berk, I of course know nothing," Merlin couldn't fight the snicker as he heard the barely hidden sarcasm in Hiccup's voice. "Berk has been at peace with the dragons for nearly 4 years," Hiccup said proudly as the man's eyes bulged. "They protect us and so we do the same in return." The threat was clear in his voice and the meaning was clear. "We will continue to protect the dragons." His narrowed-eyed look suddenly gave way to a grin as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "besides, without them, life would certainly be boring."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Watching the council men scurry out of the room, Hiccup sighed in relief once the last gaze fell from his body. Still seated at the table, he watched as Merlin walked up to Arthur. With Merlin's back to him, he could not tell the man's facial expression but could easily make out Arthur's raised eyebrow to something the magic user said. To Hiccup's confusion, Arthur's eyes then flickered towards him, making eye contact before the man gained a seemingly contemplative look. Looking back to Merlin, the man seemed to say something in agreement before shoving Merlin towards the back of the room and striding passed his now speechless friend. Hiccup just managed to catch Merlin's face split into a massive grin as Arthur blocked his view.

"Hiccup, why don't you follow me," the King said, a strange look on the man's face as if wanting to say something but unsure how to word it. Nodding, Hiccup stood and followed Arthur from the room but not before looking back again to notice Merlin having vanished.

"Where did…"

"Merlin went off to assist Gaius and Sir Mordred in order to prepare for the coming fight," Arthur began, "he will meet us in the cavern later. For now, I want to get your group fitted with any weapons they need before meeting with my men." He said, stopping in the empty corridor. "He mentioned something to me just now, actually," Arthur began in a strangely contemplative manner. Hiccup was standing behind the King so was unable to see his face. "He mentioned offhandedly just now that you reminded him of me. I told him immediately that he was an idiot." Hiccup's eyes widened.

"I told him he was mistaken," he said hurriedly and with a forced laugh, only to stop as Arthur began to laugh instead. Arthur turned to face him and he saw the King's face filled with amusement.

"You misunderstand, Hiccup. I never said he was wrong. I can see what he means. You are a fine leader and will make a great Chief," the words echoing both Astrid and Merlin now and Hiccup couldn't help but fidget. "I called him an idiot because I had thought you reminded me of Merlin." Hiccup's eyes, which had moved to the floor, snapped to Arthur's face in time to catch it breaking out into a grin.

"What?"

"He is a brave man. A man who knows what is right. But more than anything, he is a man who is not afraid to speak what he wants. I can easily recall the first thing you said to us after we arrived in Berk." Thinking back, Hiccup tried to remember what he said when it hit him, 'And I suppose that is the only reason for them bringing you?' He had made a sarcastic quip to the Camelot party, specifically to Merlin when there should have been only formality in that initial meeting.

"I think Merlin and Gwaine both beat me to a lack of formality," he said back, prompting a grin from the King as if he had just proved his point.

Turning suddenly down a different corridor, Arthur pushed open a large wooden door. Hiccup was immediately reminded of the weapon storage room back on Berk but was astounded by how much larger the room was. The room was equipped, floor to ceiling, with all manner of weapons and armor. Seated on a nearby bench was Elyan who looked up at the sound of the door opening. His hand stalled for a moment as he paused in sharpening the sword he held.

"Sire," he said in greeting before returning to his whetting.

"Anything that you may need or desire you are welcome to in our armory," Arthur said as he showed Hiccup around the space. Hiccup picked up a nearby axe off a wall, feeling its weight and balance and knowing it would be perfect for Astrid.

"What material is this?" he said, running his hand against the metal of the axes blade.

"Its steel," Elyan provided from the other side of the room. "Why do you ask?" Hiccup replaced the axe on the wall before hefting a sword into his hand to feel its weight.

"It's remarkably similar to the Gronkle Iron we use." The sword and axe both were lighter than the weapons he or Gobber had made yet the amount of material used was even less.

"I'd be happy to bring you round the forge after all this," Elyan said, a grin clear from his voice and Hiccup could not help but agree.

"Elyan," Arthur said suddenly, causing the man to straighten and face his King. "Help Hiccup bring whatever he needs down to the rest of his party. I have to go meet with the Army." A hand landed on Hiccup's shoulder for a moment before vanishing just as quickly. Turning, he just managed to see Arthur's red cape disappear behind the closing door. Picking out a few of the axes and swords, he, along with Elyan, made their way back down into the cavern. Dropping the stuff on the ground at his feet, he was greeted by Gwaine seated on a chair, where it could have come from he would never know while Percival was leaning against the cave wall.

"_Are these for us?"_ Astrid asked, leading the others over from where the dragons were lying about. Toothless lifted his head to meet Hiccup's eyes before putting his head back down upon his legs. Sending a silent thanks to his exhausted best friend, he turned to the others.

"_Arthur offered us any of their equipment. You guys should see this. Their weapons are…"_

"_Is this Gronkle Iron?" _Fishlegs said, eyeing the weapon in awe and confusion as he picked up a sword from the pile.

"_It's lighter than even our weapons,"_ Astrid added as she hefted a much larger axe than she normally carried.

"_No it's not Gronkle Iron. At least, not exactly. Elyan says it's something called Steel."_

"_Well, whatever it is, it's very similar." Fishlegs added._

"_Do we get to keep this?" _Hiccup raised an eyebrow towards his cousin who was eyeing the axe he now held possessively. Instead of answering, he stared until Snotlout's eyes finally looked up to meet his gaze. "_What?" _He said defensively.

Shaking his head, he decided not to answer at all and turned around to see Astrid swinging her axe to test its balance and speed.

"_These weapons are magnificent," _Tuff began in his strange, self-important voice before quickly being echoed by Ruffnut.

"_Indeed they are, brother. They are fine in appearance but I wonder how well they work."_

"_Ah yes. We must put them to the test than." _Ruff suddenly got a mischievous look in her eyes_._

"_Ah if you insist," _she suddenly swung out with the hammer she held towards the helmet on Tuff's head. A loud clanging noise filled the cavern, every dragon head snapping up in the direction as Tuff vibrated from head to toe.

"_They are indeed very strong," _his voice vibrating with the force of the hit before falling flat on his back.

"Maybe wait until we are on the battlefield, mates," Gwaine said from behind. Hiccup looked over his shoulder to see the man hoisting a waterskin into the air which he was pretty sure was probably not filled with water.

Shortly after that, Arthur and Leon joined them with Gwen in tow. She was quickly introduced to the remaining group; Astrid blush as the Queen congratulated her on her soon to be engagement after Gwaine made a comment. The dragons, still exhausted from their speedy flight, barely reacted until Gwen asked to be introduced to them. Toothless was up in a moment, jumping around the Queen in excitement. Laughing, she put a hand out towards him only for the black dragon to suddenly stop and put his snout in her hand.

"They are beautiful," she said, rubbing her hand along his head as he purred in contentment.

A sudden noise from the stairwell behind the cavern caused the space to fall into silence. Hiccup felt more than saw Toothless tense up and stalk a few steps forward around Gwen. Hiccup saw the Knights and Arthur also tense at the sudden noise.

A sudden voice, echoing due to the vast size of the cavern and caves, was heard muttering a swear and the Knights and Arthur both began to laugh as Gwen covered her mouth to hide her smile.

"_Mer_lin," Arthur called towards the stairwell and Hiccup immediately relaxed, putting his hand on Toothless who sat up quickly and cocked his head towards his master. "Can you ever walk without tripping on your own feet?"

"At least I can see my feet," a voice called back and Hiccup saw Arthur's face morph into confusion before quickly giving way to outrage.

"Are you calling me fat?" Arthur demanded in a soft, deadly tone as Merlin stepped out into the light of their torches with a smirking Mordred. The similar grin on Merlin's face belied his words as the Knights began to also snicker.

"What would ever give you that idea?" Arthur opened his mouth to retort but Merlin raised a hand to forestall him, his grin disappearing. However, as Merlin opened his mouth to speak, the floor gave a lurch. Toothless prevented Gwen from falling over with a quick shift of his tail. "Morgana is here," Merlin finally said as dust and rocks fell.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: A gift as promised****! Chapter 10 for the New Year! Its shorter than the other chapters but I just couldn't put anything else into this chapter without making it awkward or to long. I hope you enjoy! This was one of the harder chapters to write as I know my writing style is better suited for dialogue and descriptions than it is for intense/action packed moments. **

**Although I would like to make a New Year's pledge saying I'll be better at posting, I unfortunately, for the time being, cannot. My work has just lost many important workers these last few weeks and we are now heavily understaffed. I will have to pick up a number of shifts; I will attempt to post when I can but I cannot and will not make promises until I know I can keep them.**

**Anyway, let me know if you see any major issues with this chapter as always! Hope to hear from you soon.**

**Have a wonderful and safe New Year everyone!**

**Best,**

**Cast**

Key to Format

Characters speaking in "English"

Characters speaking in "_Norse_"

'_Norse Thoughts, _English thoughts'

_Flashback_

"**Dragon"**

"_**Magic"**_

* * *

Rushing through the stone hallways, Merlin nearly face planted as the castle shook. Grunting a thanks to the hand that helped steady him, he quickly continued his hurried pace. Hiccup and Toothless close at his side. A servant, attempting to move down the hallway, suddenly shrieked as she threw herself up against the wall. Merlin barely offered a glance as he turned a corner and began running up the tower stairs. The tower lurched as something massive struck it; Hiccup and Merlin bracing themselves on the wall until the floor settled.

"Think they're trying to tell us something?" Hiccup asked as he shoved off the wall and continued running.

"Morgana just likes to make grand entrances," Merlin responded, standing next to the tower wall and gingerly leaning over to peak outside the small window. The sight outside was chaos. Smoke was rising up into the sky as fire licked at the lower town. Though the sun had not yet descended, the dark smog was beginning to block out the light. "They haven't breached the city yet. Looks like they are just sending in projectiles from outside the walls," Merlin noted, glancing at the empty streets. The walls shook again, as something hit the castle out of Merlin's view. Grimacing, he glanced at Hiccup before nodding and rushing up the stairs. Once at the top, he pushed the wooden hatch open and quickly climbed up onto the roof of the tower. Merlin moved towards the edge of the battelemt. Looking through the crenels of the wall, he now had a full view of the surrounding woods. The sight was haunting. The woods beyond were not only smoking along with the lower town, but the people amassed spanned from the cities walls and ran deep into the woods. Eight large wooden catapults were lined along the forests edge. As they took a second to watch, one of the men, dressed in leather and furs, reached out towards the rock in the bucket only for the mass to erupt in flames. Slashing the ropes on the ground, the flaming mass was released towards the castle. Raising his hand, Merlin quickly tried to redirect the projectile before realizing the stone was not just on fire but also enchanted. Grunting, he braced himself on the stone parapet and sent out a wave of magic to instead send the rock flying back. He watched as the catapult was destroyed, the man quickly jumping and rolling to the side to escape the sudden explosion of rock, wood, and flames. The magic on the projectile had been stronger than he had expected. Regaining his breathe he prepared to do the same to the other catapults until he heard a voice behind him.

"That's the dragon hunters alright. They most likely have plenty of dragonroot arrows."

"Think you guys can handle them?" Merlin said, having been told earlier about the effects of the plant. He raised his hand again to return another flaming boulder, this time sending it towards a man who was clearly trying to stop whatever force was redirecting the projectiles. The cloaked sorcerer quickly dropped his hand and tried to scramble backwards as a massive rock fell where he previously stood.

"Think you can handle the sorcerers?" Hiccup shot back and Merlin heard Hiccup seat himself in the leather of Toothless' saddle.

"They are strong, but we're stronger," Merlin parroted Hiccup's words back. A chuckle was the only response before a gust of wind hit him in the back as the dragon and rider took to the sky. Merlin, pausing as the men tried to reload their catapults, quickly searched the sky for the white dragon. He watched Hiccup quickly shoot up into the thick black clouds. A sudden blur of movement from down below and Merlin watched as four other large shapes shot up into the smoke cover.

Feeling another shock rush through the castle beneath, he took a deep breath and turned back towards the waiting enemies.

* * *

"Merlin!" Even with the raging battle, Arthur's voice still managed to carry over the castle. Rolling his eyes as he sent another projectile soaring at a catapult, Merlin waited a moment before leaning over the parapet to look into the courtyard below. Arthur stood at its center, ordering a few of his Knights towards the East gate. Deciding that the air force could handle the rest of the catapults, Merlin rushed from the tower. He made it to the top of the steps just as half of the gathered Knights began heading out. Leon, rushing up to Arthur's back spoke into the King's ear before receiving a nod. As Leon turned to go, he looked up towards the castle and Merlin caught his gaze. Merlin raised a hand in greeting as he rushed down the steps. Leon returned the gesture before regaining Arthur's attention.

"Glad to see you still upright," Arthur joked.

"Glad to see you able to dress yourself," Merlin noted, looking Arthur's armor up and down quickly though in truth only to check for any indistinct injuries. Satisfied, he looked back to Arthur's face to see a partial glare that soon gave way to determination as a rush of noise from above broke their discussion. The three men quickly looked up as four dragons descended from the air in a diamond formation. They surged across the sky towards the forest line. Screams from the lower town were barely heard as the dragons were finally spotted by the few people who chose to remain with their livelihoods. Merlin watched as a burst of flame suddenly came blasting from the forest towards the formation. As it did, the formation suddenly broke and a black blurr originally hidden by the dark cloud cover, dropped from the sky. A blast of purple light shot upwards just as the fire passed over, exploding the ball of fire.

"Looks like our support is doing their part; time for us to start on our end," Leon said, he gave a quick respectful bow before hurrying off.

"How was it looking?" Arthur said as he quickly followed behind his head knight. Merlin took two long strides before he was keeping pace with Arthur.

"As we expected they probably number about 800 Saxons. They had eight catapults," Merlin saw his use of the past tense had not been lost on Arthur as a smirk graced the Monarch's face.

"How many did you take out?"

"Three before their sorcerer's started taking notice. Then another two immediately after that."

"How many sorcerers?"

"Two were directly trying to combat me from what I could see. Otherwise, I'm not sure." Arthur nodded once as Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, and Mordred came rushing up from the other direction. While the first three were dressed in their normal armor, Mordred had a simple green robe covering his own.

"Any news?"

"They are holding position so far at the forests edge. We have men stationed at all gates but so far it seems like Morgana's main force is centered at the North Gate." Elyan gave a quick debriefing. Arthur nodded before turning his head to the other magic user present. Mordred stood just a part from the gathered men, his right hand barely pressed to his right temple and his eyes half lidded.

"Anything?" Merlin asked, causing Mordred's eyes to open fully before he blinked owlishly.

"I haven't been able to contact Iseldir yet," he said, the unease clear in his voice though he did his best to hide it. "I don't know where they…" Arthur's hand landed on the much younger man's shoulder, stopping any further words.

"We will find them, once we deal with the current threat," Arthur promised and Mordred gave a strained but grateful smile in return.

"What about…" Merlin continued only for him to stop at Mordred's expressions.

"I went out as close as I could but couldn't get a good count. They number at least 50 from what I could tell." Mordred said gravely. Merlin nodded his thanks. He had been against sending Mordred out first amongst the enemy to get a better count of the magic users they faced; however, he had seen Mordred's point when he had first made the suggestion.

"You did well," Merlin said from beside Arthur, glad to see a smile slightly break out on his pupils face.

"Aithusa?"

"No sightings." Percival said, his eyes jumping to the sky as if to prove his point.

"Time to move out, princess?" Gwaine said, flicking his sword in a clear mockery of Arthur's move.

"Our objective is to find Morgana and Aithusa…" Arthur moved to grab his own sword only for a sudden burst of wind to come buffeting from above. Looking up, the group watched as a large form zipped across the sky from the forest. A moment passed before a second, far larger form seemed to follow after only to stop overhead and descend. The large wings nearly pushed them off their feet as the massive body of the Great Dragon landed in the courtyard of Camelot. The other Knights in the area quickly moved their weapons to the ready but, to Merlin's utter surprise, did not advance. One Knight, a Sir Bors, on the other side of the courtyard took a hesitant step closer with his sword but halted when no one else moved to do the same.

"I did tell them we had additional allies you know," Arthur said a bit loudly from his left. Turning his head, he caught Arthur's amused look and quickly returned his own gobsmacked look to neutral.

"And I thank you for the reprieve, King Arthur," Kilgharrah's voice rang through the courtyard, silencing any quiet conversations that may have been occurring. Some of the towns people who had been moving towards the safety of the castle stood shocked as the dragon then preceded to bow its massive head before the small entourage of King, Advisor, and Roundtable Knights.

"What news do you bring?" Arthur continued. Instead of answering, Kilgharrah turned his head to Merlin and lowered his massive neck. The atmosphere suddenly grew cold as the eyes locked onto his Lord.

"I cannot sense the hatchling as I once could. I fear what the witch may have done to her…"

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked even as dread pooled in his stomach.

"I fear that even you could not reach her in her current state, young warlock." Kilgharrah said, a sadness in his gaze. Merlin paused before realizing Kilgharrah's meaning and almost immediately closed his eyes. He reached within, passed his inner magic to the more feral, instinctual energy that surrounded his soul. His dragonlord connections were like live chains of energy, ones he could follow with his magic and soul in order to reach the dragon at the end of the link. His connection to Kilgharrah, bright and hot and as gold as the dragon that stood before him, was strong and bold. He could easily follow the chains of gold to feel Kilgharrah's presence. However, as he reached for the connection he normally was able to feel with Aithusa, he suddenly was pushed away. Grunting, he focused on his inner soul until he could visualize the connection only for his eyes to snap open in shock. The connection was withered and black instead of the usual white chain. When he tried to follow the black energy, he hit a wall.

"I… I can't feel her at all," he said, his words sounding far away and blurry to his own ears. Kilgharrah's silence made the dread surge.

"What can be done?" Leon asked. Merlin knew everyone was looking at him in concern but he was too focused on the connection he could no longer feel.

"You must break whatever hold the witch has on her," Kilgharrah said before his head suddenly swung towards the group of Knights. "For any dragon to lose their connection to their dragonlord, is both painful and dangerous. Unless it can be reacquired, she will forever be lost to us."

"What might this do to her?" Arthur asked.

"The connection between the dragons and dragonlords are what allowed us to remain connected to humanity. We are magic of the old religion, without that connection to humanity, we will again simply be that." Thinking briefly of the Berk dragons, Merlin couldn't help but feel like he was beginning to see those consequences.

"But the dragons of Berk..." Merlin tentatively tried.

"…Are not returned to their truest form. Magic is not black and white; it is a balance of the good and the evil, of the tamed and the feral. Aithusa and I are the only dragons who remain still created out of that balance. Though the dragons of Berk have begun to recreate their bonds, they still lack balance. Now, you must hurry. Vortigern's revenge is nearing," for a moment, Kilgharrah seemed to look at nothing before he blinked his massive eyes and raised his head. His wings opened as if to return to the air.

"What does that mean? Is Vortigern's revenge happening today?" Merlin asked, bewildered and stalling Kilgharrah's departure. Blinking, the large head bent back down.

"It was said that Vortigern's weapons would one day return. That dragon's blood would run white and red." Merlin had half a mind to repeat his question but knew he wouldn't get a clear answer from the dragon. Instead, he asked another question that would annoy the dragon even more.

"Mind taking me up?" True to his thought, the Great Dragon grumbled under his breathe, though to the Knights and Arthur, it sounded more like a snarl. Without any other word, Kilgharrah dropped his body down to the ground.

"I wish to help," Mordred quickly stepped forward, forestalling any of the arguments about to break out from the King. Another sound from the Great Dragon, though this time Merlin knew it was a snarl, was heard and Merlin shot the dragon a glare. He knew Kilgharrah still distrusted Mordred for his possible future and while the vision still tormented Merlin, he couldn't reconcile the Mordred from his vision with the one that stood before him. He looked to Mordred before nodding his head. Though Arthur and Gwaine began to voice their complaints, Kilgharrah's wings shot out and he leapt into the air before any more could be said. Merlin watched his friends quickly disappear from view as he held onto Kilgharrah's back with Mordred seated behind. Suddenly twisting out of the way of a massive, obviously magical, fireball, Merlin nearly fell from Kilgharrah.

_Maybe I should ask Hiccup to make me a saddle…_

"_**You will do no such thing!"**_ Merlin, though unsettled that Kilgharrah had managed to hear him due to their physical connection, couldn't help the laugh at the dragon's alarm. The projectiles continued and Kilgharrah suddenly banked to fly over the castle to use it as a momentary barrier. However, as they crested over the back battlement, Merlin was nearly unseated again as Kilgharrah was hit from below. The air buffeted him as Kilgharrah spun and twisted in his sudden dive as he tried to right himself. Picking up his head from Kilgharrah's back, he first noticed that they had fallen quite a distance before looking up as a shadow moved above. Aithusa suddenly opened her maw and a jet of flames soared down towards them. Merlin quickly stood, raising both hands above his head, palms up.

"**Scildan!**" Merlin roared, his shield barely forming fast enough to stop the fire from hitting. His sleeves began to chare until a secondary shield suddenly formed just below his, keeping the rest of the fire at bay. The jet of flame suddenly stopped and Kilgharrah wheeled back up into the sky. Merlin sat back down while sending Mordred a mental thanks.

"_**You need to try and reach her,"**_ the words sounded harsh in his own mind but Merlin knew Kilgharrah spoke out of desperation.

"_**Mordred, focus on defending us. I need to try and reach for Aithusa." **_Merlin knew Mordred got the message when another shield was constructed as a blast of green energy shot towards them from above. Closing his eyes, Merlin quickly found the withered chain. Forcing his way along the connection, he pushed back against the barrier that formed along its surface.

"_**Emrys…" **_the name nearly broke Merlin's focus. The voice was so young and childlike in tone and it hit Merlin that he had never heard Aithusa speak, even through mind speech.

"…_**black…dark" **_Merlin could feel the dark energy around the connection, could feel it pushing as he surged deeper and deeper. Though it was all internal, he felt himself nearly suffocating within the power that radiated around his soul. Suddenly, a barely visible white light shone through the dark energy but before his soul could reach and touch it, a sudden blast of energy expelled him. His eyes snapped open as it felt as if he got punched in the gut. Gasping for breath, he looked up to see Arthur and Leon standing over him with looks of mirroring horror that was quickly replaced by relief.

"What…" his mouth felt dry as though he had just removed a ton of moth balls. Before he could even think the rest of his question, two hands gripped his shoulders and hoisted him up onto his feet.

"Never do that again!" Arthur's harsh voice said to his right. Blinking, he turned to look at Leon to avoid Arthur's angry face.

"You just fell from Kilgharrah," Leon said, and had Merlin not been leaning on the man, he would have missed the shaking of both Leon's voice and body. A moment passed before he understood.

"I…Wha…" he head snapped up to see Kilgharrah still battling Aithusa. "How… how did I…"

"Luckily, Hookfang was nearby," Arthur said, his tone calmer again after taking a deep breath. Arthur gestured with his free hand to the left and Merlin caught sight of Hookfang sending out a jet of flames through the East courtyard gate.

"What about Mordred?" Merlin said as he regained his balance.

"Kilgharrah managed to catch him," Leon said, eyes still focused on the dragon fight above. Merlin looked back towards Hookfang to see Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan standing at the ready behind the red dragon, swords at the ready for any stragglers who made it through the blazing heat. Regaining his breathe, he pushed away from his two holders.

"We need to stop Aithusa," Merlin said out loud for Arthur and Leon's benefit but focused on projecting it to Kilgharrah and Mordred. "I can almost reach her when I was next to her but Morgana was able to push me back out."

"_**A physical connection would make whatever the Witch did stronger. If you can remove the witch from her back…"**_ Merlin looked over at Snotlout who had just landed nearby via Barf and Belch. The twins, having literally dropped Snotlout to the ground in a heap, high fived before promptly returning to the sky. Ignoring Arthur's call of his name, Merlin ran towards the fallen Viking.

"_I need a lift,"_ he called as Snotlout was returning to his feet. The shorter man suddenly swung out with his axe. Merlin managed to duck out of the way while giving a silent thanks to Arthur for their previous 'training' sessions. Gasping, Snotlout quickly dropped the weapon to his side as he noticed who he nearly decapitated. Snotlout went to apologize only for Merlin to hurriedly repeat his statement. Snotlout turned towards the East entrance and gave a single nod.

"_Hey! Hookfang! Merlin needs a lift!" Snotlout_ shouted over the fighting on the otherside of the wall and the roaring fire. Hookfang blinked and closed his mouth, swinging his head around and nearly hitting the much taller Percival with it as it swung by. The dragon looked at its rider, then looked over his shoulder to Merlin. Suddenly, Hookfang stormed pass Snotlout, nearly sending the Viking to the ground. The fire almost immediately subsided and Merlin had a moment to watch the Knights begin to take up fights with the incoming Saxons when a massive red body took up his vision. Without thinking, Merlin put his hand out. Barely a moment passed before a snout was pushed into his palm. Grinning widely, he began to move to the sadle when he noticed a large jagged line across the dragons side. Running his hand gently along the body, he felt his hand touch a sticky wet substance. As he pulled his hand back, he felt the dragon tense and shudder. His hand was red and slick with a deep red crimson. Growling under his breathe, he was about to put his hand out to try and heal Hookfang when an actual growl met his ears. Looking over his shoulder, he came face to snout with the red dragon. Merlin felt a presence in the back of his head again, much like when he had first met Hookfang on Berk. He watched as the dragon's eyes narrowed and though he knew the dragon was trying to convey something, Merlin could not understand. After a moment, the dragon snorted in what Merlin could only describe as annoyance. Hookfang's eyes flickered to his own side, where the injury was, followed by a curt jerk of his head toward the sky. Merlin realized that the nudge in his head was a feeling of urgency.

"Are you sure?" Merlin hedged. "I could try and heal..." Hookfang roughly shook his head. Merlin sighed and quickly moved around and pulled himself towards the sadle. "Fine, but afterwards you are letting me look at it," he stated and got only a sense of feeble acceptance as the presence in his mind vanished. "After you," he said before taking off into the air.

The ascent took mere moments. Once in the air, he took a moment to survey the surrounding woods. The catapults were all destroyed, which left the warriors to finally take to the streets of the city. Knights and Saxons were fighting all through the lower town and up to the gates of the castle's courtyard. Turning Hookfang, he addressed his own problem. Kilgharrah and Aithusa were hovering over the south side of the Castle, hundreds of feet above the forest at a stalemate. With the dark cloud cover and distance, he could just make out Mordred's outline on the back of Kilgharrah and Morgana's form perched on the White dragon's back. The two continued to circle each other in the air. Flashes of light spread through the air only to dissipate against a blue shield.

"_So what's the plan?" _A voice called out from behind. Merlin turned his head as more wing beats reached his ears. Toothless appeared hovering on his left while Stormfly appeared on his right.

"_We need to get Morgana off Aithusa's back…" _Another strike, this time the attack a mix of Morgana's powerful fire magic and Aithusa's own fire, which quickly shattered Mordred's shield. The young Warlock had to quickly throw up another one but not before Kilgharrah lost more altitude. "_…And quickly. I don't think Mordred can fend Morgana off much longer."_

"_Leave that to us." _Hiccup said.

_"What about the dragon hunters?"_

_"The twins are distracting them right now," _Astrid added, gesturing behind them. Merlin could just make out a large shape moving back and forth across the forest's edge, diving down before flying back up again. A sudden flash of fire told him the twins were probably enjoying it a bit to much. _"We made sure to tell them not to burn the whole forest down," _Astrid added with a smirk, which didn't lower Merlin's unease.

_"The twins can handle it for a little while. Now, for Morgana; think you can cause a distraction?"_

"_Me? Distract Morgana? Give me a harder job why don't you," _Merlin grinned at Hiccup before telling Hookfang to move. Merlin was glad he could speak telepathically as the nuances of how the dragon riders communicate with their dragons was still lost on him. He had Hookfang bank to Morgana's left before surging forward and placing himself directly between Kilgharrah and Aithusa.

"Well," the voice carried clearly over the distance, filled with a sweet tone laced with venom. "If it isn't Merlin. Strange seeing you, and on such a creature," the smile she directed was not pleasant. It hit him that she probably knew, given the circumstances.

"I should have told you…" he tried, cautiously as he baited for time. Not knowing exactly what she knew but figuring it would anger her all the same.

"You should have done many things!" She thundered, Aithusa losing a small bit of height in altitude in a brief moment of unease.

"I know… but I had…"

"You had to protect Arthur, Uther's son!"

"Arthur is needed. For anything to happen…" Before he could finish his sentence, a scream rang through the air and a blast of fire burst from Aithusa's direction. Merlin had a moment to think about whether it had been solely Morgana who had released the attack before Hookfang opened his own maw. The attacks hit each other dead on, trying to gain strength but both at a stalemate. Suddenly, Morgana jerked forward, as a flash of blue moved around Morgana's back. Stormfly wheeled around from behind Aithusa, flinging her spiked tail at Morgana's back as she went. Morgana's own attack halted as she physically turned on the dragon to address the threat. With only Aithusa's flame to contend with, Merlin began to raise his hand, hoping to help his scaly comrade when a sudden ballistic noise rent the air. Looking up, Merlin just caught the sight of Toothless in mid dive as the dragon's mouth began to shine with a deep purple light. As Toothless suddenly pulled up, Merlin noted that he was riderless. Toothless let loose his attack only for Morgana to scream out one of her own. As the purple energy hit Morgana's flame, it ignited into a blast of fire. Jolted by the sudden blast, Aithusa dropped, Morgana almost falling from the dragon's back but holding on with a single hand. Before Merlin had a chance to blink, Toothless fell into another dive pass the falling Aithusa. Leathery wings flapped, once, twice, before Hiccup appeared out of the dark clouds, barreling into the side of Morgana as a second scream was stolen from her lungs. Dragon, rider, and witch began each their own free fall. Without another thought, Merlin urged Hookfang into a dive of his own. As his own mount began to fall, Merlin frantically called to Kilgharrah.

"_**Aithusa!"**_ As he and Hookfang shot passed the struggling white dragon, he felt Kilgharrah's precence surge up from behind as he and Hookfang gained speed on the falling Morgana. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiccup aiming for the falling Toothless ahead of him while Merlin reached down, nearly able to grab Morgana's hand. For a moment, the fear in her face hit his heart and he watched as her hand slowly reached out to grab his, only for her face to suddenly steal over. She pulled back and her hand fell out of his grasp. Hookfang suddenly pulled out of his own dive as Morgana disappeared into the trees of the forest below. Merlin's hand slowly closed into a fist before another roar pierced his ears. Turning, he saw Kilgharrah and Aithusa again in a stalemate. Merlin quickly closed his eyes. He felt for the connection again and quickly found the small white, blackened chain that connected him to Aithusa. He forced himself along it, towards the barely visible white light at its end before pushing against the barrier.

"_**Emrys…help…"**_ he pushed one last time, drawing upon his own magic and felt the roar fill his ears and soul as the barrier cracked and slowly began to shatter. He suddenly found himself surrounded in white light, opening his soul to the energy around him, his magic surged forward and he felt, rather than saw, the dark spots shrivel from the light. As he pulled back a moment later, he was met with silence. Opening his eyes, he looked towards where he could feel Kilgharrah and now Aithusa. The white dragon, whose teeth were barred, suddenly blinked and shook her head. Looking up, her clear blue eyes met that of the Great Dragon before turning to face Merlin. Her eyes widened before her head dropped.

"No time for self-loathing, young one. We have work to do," The Great Dragon said. Though his tone was hard, Merlin could just hear a hint of fondness from the ancient beast. The White dragon, though not meeting his gaze, did not hesitate to follow as Kilgharrah turned towards the North woods and the stationed army.

Merlin looked down towards the woods, as if to catch sight of Morgana. He watched as a black shape surged up from the forest, its powerful wing beats quickly launching it back into the safety of the black clouds. Shaking his head, he told Hookfang to return to the fray. As they neared the edge of the lower town, Merlin could just make out a volley of arrows aimed at Barf and Belch. The two headed dragon was swerving back and forth over the remaining forces as Stormfly and Toothless finally caught up to regain the fight. Barf and Belch suddenly jerked mid air before beginning to fall to the ground. Kilgharrah's massive size suddenly loomed over the North woods and without hesitation, caught the much smaller, flailing dragon in his massive claws. Banking to the right, the Great Dragon swerved towards the Castle courtyard with his charges. Merlin allowed a brief smile as Aithusa released a fiery breathe to protect Astrid's back from a nearing arrow. Looking at the white dragon, he thought he saw the outline of a person on her back but shook himself once more when he realized it was a trick of the mind. The fight seemed to be diminishing and he could hear the call of the Knights below as they began to take back the lower town. Turning Hookfang towards the courtyard where he figured Snotlout still remained, Merlin only had a moment to think: who was Kilgharrah really talking to in that moment?


	11. Chapter 11

A/N

'Ello everyone! Here I am again! I think we only have two more chapters remaining. The next chapter is already planned out. I was having trouble working out how best to start this chapter and what to run with after the last chapter and somehow this was born. I apologize if anyone wanted to see more of the battle but after how the previous chapter left off, it just seemed like it would be too much. Now! On to the story!

**Koala789: **We shall see! Shan't we? :D It shall be a surprise for all!

**Ambiguous Cake: **As any great battle, it begins as quickly as it ends! Glad you enjoyed it!

**WAY:** Hey Way! Reading your comment really made me feel better about chapter 10. Like I said before, combat scenes aren't really my forte so this was a difficult chapter to both begin and end. I hope this chapter and the two to come meet your expectations as well!

**MugetsuPipeFox: **Hmm, well after nearly 5 seasons of near deaths, who is to say? :P At the very least, some other enemies are certainly an issue, what with those pesky dragon hunters.

* * *

"For the last time, I am fine!" The shout carried through the castle walls where many a survivor of the recent battle was being patched up. Many laughed at the nature of the shout while others looked on in confusion as they recognized their King's angered voice.

Within the royal hall, a makeshift meeting had been called after the enemy army was finally seen retreating. The battle had quickly been won once news of Morgana's fall had reached the enemies' ears. With Mordred and Merlin's ability to communicate, the news had easily been brought to Arthur as well. The Knights had quickly pushed the Saxons out of the lower town and back into the forest. Merlin and the dragon rider's above had quickly quelled the dragon hunter's artillery, forcing them to hide.

The Knights and council members in attendance were strewn about the space. However, half way through Arthur's deliberations on how to handle the recovery and rebuilding of the lower town, the main doors slammed open as a wide eyed and frantic Court Advisor came barreling in. Merlin nearly tackled the young King to the ground as he attempted to rip the shirt from his King's chest to see the bloodied bandage beneath. Arthur belatedly considered he should have mentioned to Merlin he had been injured instead of letting the overprotective man find out on his own from Mordred. He made a mental note for future fights.

"Merlin…" Arthur said through clenched teeth as he finally managed to pry the Warlock's hands free from his side; the deep golden glow vanishing. "I. Said. Its. Fine." He enunciated each word, and forced the man to look him dead in the eye. He could see Merlin's eyes darting between his face and the obvious wound at his side. Arthur knew Merlin was still hiding things from him, secrets that they still needed to discuss; secrets that both bothered and tormented the younger man. It was in that moment that he saw that same torment he only ever heard at night when the Warlock was locked in a nightmare. Arthur promised himself that he would wait and demand answers from his friend later when Merlin suddenly went limp in Arthur's arms. Grunting at the sudden weight, and momentarily concerned by the prospect that Merlin was also injured, he was about to call for help when a barely whispered voice reached his ears.

"You prat…" The grip on him tightened slightly but before Arthur could even react, by accepting the hug or pushing his advisor away, the presence was gone. Looking up in confusion, Arthur's gaze filled with rage and a sudden fear gripped him.

"Sire! Are you alright?" Lord Erec spoke loudly, his sword drawn and nearly piercing the neck of the downed Warlock who was forced back on his haunches. Arthur was struck by how familiar the scene looked and fought back a shudder by the memory of how inappropriately he had first reacted. The lord was, as was everyone in the room, disheveled and barely put together. His short greying hair was coated in a black dust

"What, by g-d, do you think you are doing?"

"This man was performing magic on you. I saw; we all saw it with our own eyes!" The lord sneered down at the Warlock whose head was now bowed and hidden by his hair and shadow.

"Oh, was he?" Arthur said, trying to keep the scorn from his voice but clearly failing as the lord, and many of the other council men, began looking at him with unease.

"I…" Lord Erec's sword began to sag slightly. "Yes… Sire… He..." A sudden laugh filled the space and all eyes turned to the downed Advisor.

"I suppose I've been caught," he said, looking up with a grin on his face. Having spent so many years with the man, Arthur knew Merlin was actually panicking on the inside but was impressed with how well he hid it outwardly.

"Yes," Arthur quickly jumped in as a few other council members and Knights began to reach for their own weapons. "So tell me, Sorcerer, what exactly did you do to me?" Arthur asked, his voice barely containing his mirth.

"Well I had planned to heal the wound and make the remaining scar go away but you stopped me before I could. At the very least, you won't bleed to death anymore," he quipped. Silence reigned in the room as Arthur placed his hand on his side without a single flinch.

"Not bad. Your healing still needs work though," he grinned as the Warlock grumbled. The lord, who now stood gobsmacked in the center of the great hall with his sword barely grasped in his hand, watched as Arthur then proceeded to help the newly proclaimed sorcerer to his feet.

"Now, as we were saying…"

"But sire!" The lord continued and Arthur tensed. "This man just used magic. This _Sorcerer_," the word full of disdain and loathing, "would be on his way to the pyre had your father…"

"Had my father been what?" he cut the man off, his tone dangerously calm, but belaying his deep seated anger. "I admit, years ago, I might have agreed. When I first found out only a month ago, I very nearly took Merlin's life," Arthur continued, hardly realizing he was walking towards the shivering lord until he stood towering over him. "But, I also understand, now more than ever, that this prejudice can no longer stand." Arthur looked over the Lord's shoulder just in time to catch Merlin's pointed look. Arthur took a deep breath and felt his anger vanish to be replaced by a calmness he hadn't felt since before he had assumed the throne. "I had intended to wait; I had intended to move slowly and see how the people would react. I cannot wait any longer. Though my father was a fair and just king, he was often blinded by his anger. He made one mistake; a mistake I shall not allow to happen again. Our fear towards our own people must be abated. Our fear and anger towards magic users only fuels more despair. I am not my father." Silence reigned in the room as each figure was unable to look or make eye-contact with their sovereign.

"We did have magical aid in the fight," A Knight suddenly spoke up from the other side of the room. His hair was only beginning to grey, with streaks of it through his midnight black hair that hung over a scar on the right side of his face.

"Sir Accolon," King Arthur nodded, a smile nearly breaking out on his face though he quickly schooled his expression.

"…and we have agreed to provide the Druids with protection," Geoffrey interjected, who stood behind Arthur with a book and quill in each hand, already making notes of the current discussion.

"Ah, but the Druids were not truly involved," King Arthur said.

"What? How could the Druids not have…" Lord Erec began to complain before a pointed look from Arthur silenced him. The Lord stared at his Monarch for a moment before turning his head to look at the only revealed magic user present.

"You mean, he was the one who destroyed nearly half of their catapults?" A much older lord, standing near the side of the room with a wooden walking stick leaning against his side said with incredulity. The man, Lord Aldis, was one of the eldest lord's in attendance. Though still far off from either Geoffrey or Gaius's age, the man was nearly bald. After sustaining a terrible wound in battle, Lord Aldis forever kept to the castle. His views had always been that of his Father's and so Arthur waited in silence as the Lord slowly struggled across the room. The walking stick was the only noise as it struck the stone floor. The lord, who stood hunched nearly a foot shorter than both Arthur and Merlin, walked directly to the Court Advisor. He peered up into the Warlock's face, who stood straight under the scrutiny. The man narrowed his eyes, moving the walking stick from his right to his left hand. "Mighty impressive," he said at last, though his tone was unclear. The man then shambled back to where he had originally been standing. The room blinked collectively while Arthur and Merlin shared a look of confusion towards the man's back.

"What would you have us do, Sire?" Sir Bors spoke up. His eyes landing on both Arthur and Merlin with a nod of acceptance.

"I would wish for us to begin drafting up a revision to the laws on magic. Of course we shall wait until repairs are finished," he said, watching as Leon bowed his head and quickly hurried out of the room to relay the earlier decisions about repairs to the workers.

"What about the fires? How will we deal with those?" Sir Bors asked, pulling everyone in the room to the main task at hand. Arthur appreciated the assistance, as it kept attention off Merlin for the time being though many were still shooting him uncertain looks.

"We will have to…" Lord Erec began when suddenly he was cut off.

"The fires are being put out," Merlin quickly stated. All eyes immediately zeroed in on him again. Arthur nearly hit his forehead at the man's stupidity.

"Oh?" Another lord asked, though with less derision then Lord Erec was showing. "And exactly how?"

"A rain storm," he said simply, pointing to the high window at the back of the room. To everyone's surprise, there was in fact rain pouring outside.

"A rain storm…"

"Yes…"

"When there were no rain clouds in the sky before the fight…"

"…Yes…" Arthur nearly laughed at the incredulous look Lord Erec was giving the Warlock who was now fidgeting with his hands.

"Well, I think we can set that worry aside," Arthur said, drawing the attention of the room again. At that moment, the large double doors opened, as the two guards stationed outside held the doors open for the entering Knights. Gwaine, followed by Elyan, walked passed the doors which were promptly closed again by a single hand gesture from the King. Within moments, Merlin felt a wet hand press down on his shoulder. Looking up, he caught Gwaine's eye wink before Arthur's voice returned attention to him.

"Report," Arthur called, his tone suddenly sharper than it had been before.

"No sign, Princess." Gwaine, who was completely drenched, said from Merlin's right. Despite Gwaine's usual joke at Arthur's expense, his tone was surprisingly solemn.

"Clear the room. The council will reconvene tomorrow." Though many of the council men were disgruntled by the decision, the room quickly cleared out. As Lord Erec and a few of the other council men left, passing Merlin as they did, Merlin felt their hard stares on his form. The hand on his shoulder tightened briefly but he said nothing in response. After only moments, Arthur, Merlin, the Knights, and Gauis were the only ones who remained. Arthur sighed deeply, falling against a pillar in the room and leaning his weight against it.

"That went well, Sire," Gaius said, walking up to stand at Merlin's other side, "All things considered."

"You mean because they didn't run Merlin through? Yes, it definitely went well." Arthur said; his tone disgusted.

"The old geezers giving you trouble, Mate?" Gwaine said. Merlin turned his head to give him a brief smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Where is Percival?" Arthur asked, forestalling Gwaine's rampage on behalf of their mutual best friend.

"He is continuing the search with the others while we report," Gwaine said, clearly annoyed.

"None at all?" Arthur said as he moved towards the large window that overlooked the forest beyond. The rain was still pouring outside.

"There was no body anywhere in the area, Arthur," Elyan continued, before turning his gaze to Merlin. "We tripled checked the area you described but we haven't found anything; only broken branches and a piece of torn clothing. We've already sent out the hunting dogs to try and catch the sent."

"So she managed to slip away again," Arthur said simply, as if remarking on the weather outside.

"You seem oddly calm given the situation," Merlin remarked slowly, his eyes marginally narrowing as he eyed his Monarch. Arthur kept his gaze towards the window before turning to look at his Advisor. His face gave nothing away before shrugging noncommittedly.

"I suppose I'm just not entirely surprised anymore given our previous encounters."

"Or maybe you took one to many hits to the heard during the fight," Merlin quipped, making a large show of then pulling Arthur's head over and looking for any indents in the skull. The King grumbled under his breath and forcibly pushed his friend away. Arthur turned back to the window to hide the smile that was trying to break on his face, glad his friend would never change.

"We continue looking," he said to the quiet room, knowing no one would argue.

* * *

"**O Drakon…!" **Merlin stood at the edge of the north most clearing. Merlin had yet to see Hiccup or his team since the fighting, though he figured they were back in the cavern, tending to their own wounds. He had stopped the rain only an hour before riding out, the clouds quickly clearing to show the descending sun on the horizon. He was about to sit, to await the dragons arrival when the heavy wing beats appeared. He saw the Great Dragon circling the clearing overhead. He squinted his eyes up, watching the dragon's movement and easily realized he seemed to be favoring one wing over the other. As Kilgharrah touched down before him, the right wing seemed to tense and fold slower than the other.

"You are injured…" Merlin began without any preamble.

"It is nothing to concern yourself with."

"You weren't supposed to enter that fight," Merlin continued, his earlier anger coming to the surface.

"Oh, I do believe I got no resistance from you when I first appeared," the dragon grinned as if he had started and immediately won the argument. Merlin narrowed his eyes for a moment before sighing. Knowing the dragon was right.

"I should have commanded you to leave. I apologize for not recognizing your injury earlier." Prior to the fight, Merlin had gone to meet with Kilgharrah only to notice that he had been flying shakily. Though he was built stronger than the other dragons in their company, Kilgharrah was still ancient and the long flight had drained the Great Dragon more than he had let on. Merlin had initially gotten Kilgharrah to promise not to enter the area when the fight began but had forgotten when in the moment.

"It was my choice, Merlin. Aithusa is my kin, just as you are. Should you have ordered me to leave, I would have lost respect for you." Merlin's head lowered at the thought before the next words brought a spark to his heart. "Thank you." Merlin's head snapped up at the sincere words. Looking over the injured dragon, Merlin fought back the tears before placing his hand on the Great Dragons snout.

"No, thank you…" They stood in companionable silence until Merlin decided to try asking. "Will you allow me to heal you?" He said and only got a bowed head in response. Moving towards Kilgharrah's side, he stood motionless for a moment, feeling for his inner magic before bringing it to the surface. His hand gingerly touched the large wound that Kilgharrah must have sustained from the dragon hunters near the end of the fight. The tear, though not life threatening, was large and deep. Merlin was not sure how long he stood, hands outstretched towards the wound. Suddenly, he felt something pushing him aside. Opening his eyes, he found a tail blocking him from the wound.

"Wha…?" Merlin began before nearly toppling over as a wave of pure exhaustion swept through his entire body.

"Though I appreciate it, I doubt your King would like it if you disappeared for the next two days because you used to much energy," Kilgharrah said as Merlin used the tail as leverage to gently lower himself to the ground.

"I would have been fine…" he argued though without any strength as he suddenly found himself on his back, his vision nearly going black for a split second.

"I see you would have," Kilgharrah responded back none too nicely. "Your magic can only do so much on a creature of the old religion, Merlin. What you have done, shall suffice. It will heal on its own from here. The pain is greatly diminished if that shall put your mind at ease." Merlin tried to respond but realized it was nothing more than a mumble as he allowed his eyes to close. He lay there for a while until Kilgharrah reminded him that he had people who were probably wondering of his whereabouts. Grunting, he stayed for another moment, before forcing himself to stand. Surprised at how steady he was, despite his exhaustion, he turned to face Kilgharrah again.

"How is Aithusa? Why didn't she come with you?"

"The hatchling is distressed," Kilgharrah began, shaking his head when Merlin opened his mouth to speak. "She will move on. For now, give her time to come to terms with being reawakened to her connection. Now that she can feel our presence again, it alone will begin to heal that which was damaged. When she is ready, she will seek you out." Merlin crossed his arms, fighting with himself on whether to try and reach for the connection they shared. Instead, he decided to heed Kilgharrah's words. As he began walking towards the horse that was tied at the edge of the clearing, he stopped halfway there before turning back to Kilgharrah who was watching his departure. The head titled slightly, as if waiting for whatever Merlin was about to say.

"I suppose we had nothing to worry about," he said after thinking for a moment, a smile forming on his face. Instead of responding, the Great Dragon merely arched its eye, waiting for clarification.

"Vortigern's revenge. The warning you gave earlier."

"I said it was nearing, young warlock. Not that it had arrived. It does not do to become so complacent, especially when the witch may still live."

"What? What do you mean?" he said as dread began to pool again in his stomach.

"Exactly as it sounds. The witch's presence still…"

"No, no, no… I meant about Vortigern," the dragon's eyebrow raised. "Let me guess. You can't explain it," Merlin said, his eyes rolling.

"If there was something to explain I would. In this case, however, I know no more than you do. It has been talked about for decades. What it means, I know not; only that we must be careful in the days to come. The dragon hunters are still out there and while my kin are returning to their true nature, even that which is healing can be re-broken."

"Are you saying that the dragons of the north are in danger?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps it is our own limitations. As I said, I know not what it means. Only that something still comes." Before he could respond, the dragon's wing sprang to life, lifting the magical creature into the darkening sky. A moment more passed before energy resurged through the Warlock, he ran across the remainder of the clearing. Hauling himself into his saddle, he made for Camelot.

* * *

"_Fan out guys,"_ Hiccup called to the forest, as he heard the tromping of large and small steps from every direction.

"_Why are we doing this again?"_ Ruffnut asked from behind, leaning against a tree as her brother rolls across the ground. Tuff comes out of his roll, hiding behind a nearby tree. Hiccup watched as Tuff poked his head out from behind the tree, looked around jerkily, before rolling across the ground again to jump behind a different tree. Shaking his head, Hiccup looked back to Ruff.

"_We are making sure there aren't any dragon hunter's or Saxon's remaining in the woods_." Hiccup said, crossing his arms.

"_Okay, then why is Snotlout not here?" _

"_Hookfang was injured, remember?"_ Astrid said, coming up from Hiccup's right. Tuff's head poked back out from behind a new tree, staring at them blankly as Ruff had the same expression. _"We sent them back so that he could tend to Hookfang,"_ Astrid explained, before rolling her eyes and stalking off again.

"_Will you just start searching?"_ Hiccup said sternly, gesturing to the direction behind the twins who looked back in sync, saluted in sync, before grinning and rushing into the underbrush with their zippleback chasing after.

"_For the love of Thor,"_ Hiccup said with a sigh as the harsh snapping of twigs and shrubs was heard from the distance.

Astrid and Stormfly were the only ones in clear view now as they drifted almost silently off to the right. Hiccup watched for a moment before moving forward with Toothless at his side. They had been out in the surrounding woods since the fighting has finally ceased. Unsure of how the Knights would take to the return of the dragons, the riders had remained out until true night fall, before beginning their search. They had already searched the west, east, and south areas of Camelot for any possible survivors or stragglers of the enemy army. Having found nothing thus far, they had nearly turned back for the castle when a sudden noise had caught Astrid's ear which now saw the rider's north of the city walls.

Minutes turned to hours as they continued to search. A sudden panicked shout had Hiccup turning to his left and running through the trees. Within moments, he felt the familiar presencef of Astrid as she fell into step next to him, Toothless and Stormfly easily keeping pace. Breaking through the dense underbrush, the small group found Fishlegs, standing next to a laid out Meatlug as the Gronkle kept her quarry pinned beneath her.

"_Find something?"_ Hiccup said, seeing Fishleg's proud smile as the bigger man turned to face them.

"_Meatlug here caught him just as he was about to run off. Isn't that right girl?"_ He said, giving a tender hug to the dragon's side as the dragon began to shift off its human made bed. Hiccup was about to give praise when the red caught his eye. Seeing a red tunic with a gold dragon embalmed across the back of the fabric, Hiccup's eyes widened. He turned to face Fishlegs who had yet to turn to see the mistake.

"_Uh… Fishlegs… I don't…"_

"_Fishlegs caught the guy before we did? No way!"_ Ruffnut shouted, coming running into the area from behind.

"_That's right! Meatlug and I…"_

"_Guys… I really think…"_

"_Did you say Fishlegs caught…"_ Tuff said, coming in from the other direction with Barf and Belch.

"_Guys!"_ Hiccup shouted as the figure began to fidget on the ground. Tuff quickly shut his mouth with a snap, his eyes going wide for a moment before trying to make eye contact with his sister. Ruff, however, was staring intently at the ground where Meatlug laid even as Tuff tried to get her attention. Hiccup ignored the group as he quickly walked to the downed man's side.

"Percival, you okay?" He said, kneeling down as he heard a gasp from behind. The large Knight put a hand to his forehead as he slowly raised his head. Blinking for a moment in confusion, he looked around before gripping Hiccup's now offered hand. Within a second, the big Knights other hand was taken by Ruff who was already struggling to help lift the man. Hiccup went to pull the man up as well before realizing the man's strength alone could probably snap his arm in half. Giving the Knight an apologetic smile, he quickly pulled his hand back along with Ruff, feeling the Knight using most of his own strength to get to his feet instead. The hand grasped his for a moment longer before pulling away. Ruff seemed to hold on for longer before being pulled back by her brother.

"I am fine, thanks." He said with a grin instead. He then looked around the space, "where is…?"

"Snotlout is tending to an injured Hookfang," Fishlegs said quietly, while fidgeting and not making eye contact. "I…I apologize for mistaking…"

"It is dark. I understand," Percival said simply before turning at a noise in the distance. "You should head back. The patrol will be here soon," Percival said, picking up his fallen sword which had fallen when Meatlug had body slammed into the commoner Knight.

"Thanks for the warning," Hiccup said, watching as Percival nodded once before turning and heading to meet with the rest of the patrol.

"_Looks like we should go,"_ Astrid said, quickly mounting Stormfly and taking to the darkened sky. Without a word, everyone else mounted up and quickly followed after. The trip back to the underground tunnels was done mostly in silence. As they dismounted and began to wander through the hidden tunnels on feet, Hiccup lifted a torch from the wall to allow for sight. Moving towards the end of the tunnel, they entered the massive cavern to the sound of a moan of distress. Making eye contact with Astrid for a split second, the group took off running into the open space to see a flash of white light. Covering his eyes, Hiccup nearly tripped as he forced himself to a dead stop. As the light behind his lids vanished, he lowered his hand to see Hookfang laid out on the ground, its eyes closed. A moment of panic filled the Viking only to notice the creature breathing out small puffs of fire while it slept. The second thing that caught his attention, was the large burly Viking who was knocked out against the back wall.

"_About time! What took you so long?!"_ Snotlout said from Hookfangs side, sitting on the ground with his back leaning on his mount.

"_Wha…What was…? That light… what…?" _Hiccup's head moved between Snotlout and the knocked out dragon hunter with absolute shock. Snotlout's face slowly turned into a wide grin.

"_Ah, sorry!" _A voice called from Hookfang's other side as Merlin's head popped up from over the dragon. _"Didn't realize you were coming in,"_ he said as he walked around the sleeping Hookfang.

"_What did you do?" _Hiccup asked, moving around to see Hookfang's other side. He had seen the injury when they had all first met up. Looking now, the injury was still bad, and would certainly leave a slight scar on the red scales, but now the injury looked cleaned and seemed smaller.

"_Since they are creatures of magic, no magic can truly alter or affect them. I tried to heal it as best I could. Then I cleaned the wound and helped with the pain. It should heal up within the next few days," _Merlin explained as Hiccup examined the healing injury.

"_Thanks. I know Hookfang will be appreciative too," _Hiccup said before turning to face the Warlock.

"_It's the least I can do,"_ Merlin said, his hand gently pressed to the slumbering dragon's side.

"_You caught him?" _Astrid's disbelieving voice was heard from the other side of Hookfang. Moving around the slumbering beast with Merlin, Hiccup watched as the twins sauntered up to the unconscious Viking.

"_Of course I did!" _Snotlout said, his chest puffing out as he stood to his feet. "_He tried to get the jump on me and Hookfang on our way back here but I was prepared. I knocked him out before he could even…"_

"_What do you think, Sister?" _Tuff's voice had gained that unique tone the twins often took whenever they were trying to sound smarter.

"_Well, based on the charred furs…"_

"…_and the burnt hair…"_

"_Not to mention the dent in the helmet that remarkably resembles a large tail…"_

"…_I would say Hookfang…"_

"_A beautiful deduction, Brother." _ Ruff and Tuff high-fived as Snotlout slapped his hand to his face in irritation. Laughing, Astrid walked over to the knocked out Viking. With Ruff's help, they put the man into a sitting position. His moans of pain were clear in the cavern's silence and as they moved him, his body began to fidget into signs of waking.

"_Shall we see what he knows?" _Astrid asked before pinching the man's arm. The man jumped at the sudden touch, but couldn't move with the rope tied around his arms and legs. Before Astrid or Hiccup could move into his line of sight, Tuff shoved his face into the Dragon Hunter's.

"_Where is it?!" _He demanded, the man's eyes immediately widening in confusion. "_Tell me! Where did you hide it? Don't you lie to us, or I'll sick her on you," _he said, jerking his thumb at his sister to his left who grinned to show her teeth. Tuff put his hand next to his mouth and lowered his voice as if to whisper, _"her bites are worse than even a Lycanwing's. Now where is it?" _The man continues to look at the Viking in confusion as Tuff sits back, his fist slamming into his open palm. "_Alright, guess we will just have too…"_

"_Uh Tuff," _Hiccup said, moving to Tuff's right, "_maybe I should handle this. Where did the Dragon Hunter's go?"_

"_Oh is that what we were asking?" _Ignoring Tuff's question, Hiccup watched as the man shifted slightly into a better sitting position.

"_I don't know." _The man said only to tense up as Toothless, mouth open and teeth visible, moved to stand next to his rider. _"I…I really don't know! They all left, to regroup and return to the boats. I got separated and stuck with the Saxons."_

"_Where are the boats?" _Astrid asked, still on the man's immediate right, her hand still on his arm as a reminder of her close proximity. The man's eyes shifted slightly and seemed to catch the axe she still held in her other hand before nervously looking back at Hiccup.

"_They… they was just off the coast of the North Sea, north of Mercia…"_

"_Interesting…" _Merlin said suddenly from behind, Hiccup looked over his shoulder to see the man's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"_Problem?"_

"_We were at war with Mercia a long time ago but have had a peace treaty with them for some time. I will have to warn Arthur. A messenger will need to be sent to King Bayard immediately."_

"_What about Dagur?" _Astrid asked the man next.

"Dagur?_ Haven't seen nor heard hair nor hide of him since he left…"_

"_Dagur left the dragon Hunter's?"_

"_Aye, now our boss be out looking for him I hear."_

"_Now that you mention your boss, where is Ryker? Heading with the other's towards Mercia?" _Hiccup demands only to watch in confusion as the man began to laugh.

"_You think Ryker is our boss? Oh lad, you be misinformed." _When Hiccup waited for the man to continue but got no other response, he motioned towards Astrid. The man began to turn his head slightly to look at her only to stop and tense as the axe was brought closer to his person._ "Our leader is Ryker's brother. Viggo Grimborn. Now, you aren't gettin nothing else outta me…"_

"_That's fine, I think I've heard enough," _Hiccup said in determination. The man's eyes suddenly closed as a large mace landed on his helmed head, the man falling limp in his binds as Tuff hoisted macey back onto his shoulder.

"_What now, Hiccup?" _Astrid said.

"_We have some boats to find…"_ Hiccup said, turning to face the group before turning to face Merlin. "_How far is the Mercian coast from here?"_

"_By foot? I'd say a little over a week; maybe closer to two though it's hard to say. I've never traveled up that way before."_

"_But it's safe to assume they have a while of travel?" _Hiccup said, and at Merlin's nod, he let the exhaustion show on his face finally.

"_How is everything upside?"_ He asked as a change of topic, surprised when Merlin began to nervously rub the side of his neck.

"_Well, could have been better. On a bad note, we have no idea where Morgana went. No sign of her body or a trail either. On a good note, my head is still attached…"_

"_They found out?" _Fishlegs asked in shock.

"_I may or may not have used magic in the council room to try to heal Arthur," _Merlin began hesitantly.

"_And you're still alive after that? Talk about stupidity, am I right?" _Snotlout said, elbowing Astrid in the side who elbowed him back in the stomach. Hard.

"_Yeah well, Arthur already wringed me out for that stupid move."_

"_I imagine the council didn't react very well." Hiccup asked._

"_No, but I was surprised when a few of the Knights and even council seemed to come to, if not my aid, then at least to Arthur's. It ended better than I could have thought. Arthur began the discussion for the ban on Magic to be lifted," _Hiccup could hear the excitement, and near disbelief, from the warlock's voice. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he waited a moment for Merlin's eyes, which had gone distant, to focus on him.

"_I am happy for you,"_ he said with a grin, squeezing the no longer hidden magic user's shoulder.

"_There is still a lot of work to do. The lower town needs to be repaired first before any real discussion can begin. Now, Arthur has had rooms made up for each of you when you need a rest. I'm afraid the dragons would need to stay here but…"_

"_They will be fine down here,"_ Astrid said with a thankful smile.

"_You are welcome to stay here until your injury heals. Arthur said he would assist in making sure you had safe travel home whenever you are ready."_

_"We will be sure to thank him later than. Where is Arthur?" _Hiccup asked, somewhat surprised to see Merlin by himself.

"_He is meeting with the patrols right now. He said he would call for you all later."_

"_Well in that case, how about some rest, bud?" _Hiccup asked, patting Toothless on the head who immediately yawned._ "Then we can try and find those boats." _


End file.
